


Save the Last Dance with Me

by cherishedwings



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arranged Marriage, Betrayal, Car Accidents, Cussing, Eventual Levi/Eren Yeager, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Injury Recovery, Inspired by K-Drama | Korean Drama, M/M, Major Character Injury, Memory Loss, Robbery, Slow Build, photographer!Levi, small town boy!eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherishedwings/pseuds/cherishedwings
Summary: As the son of the mistress, Levi never expected to be named heir to the Survey Corporation conglomerate. He wants nothing more than to travel the world and pursue his passion as a professional photographer. At the news of his father’s death, he is suddenly called home to take his place, much to the anger of his legitimate sister and stepmother. After an explosive argument, Levi decides to leave everything behind.However, he gets into an accident and wakes up in the small town of Shiganshina with no memory of who he is. Can the green-eyed brat who saves his life help him find his way?Modeled after an old Korean drama called “Save the Last Dance with Me”, this story shows how love can persevere even in the face of perilous challenges.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	1. Bamboozled

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on one of my all-time favorite Korean dramas, and I hope to do it justice and share its beauty through this fic. Please enjoy!

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing at Trost International Airport in 30 minutes. As we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

Levi sighed as he pushed up his eye mask and rubbed his face blearily. For the first time in months, he had managed to get more than a few hours of sleep despite the turbulence and incessant crying from babies elsewhere on the plane. Thank god for first class seats. Levi shuddered as he imagined what would have happened if he had to sit in _economy_ class and deal with snot-nosed brats and fight obnoxious pigs over armrest space. More likely than not, it would’ve ended with Levi being placed on the no-fly list.

As a professional photographer, he traveled for his job. A lot. So being banned from any major airline would be a huge pain in the ass that he didn’t have time to deal with. Which is why he never felt bad about splurging on the ridiculously expensive first class seats—although the complimentary alcohol was certainly a bonus.

Levi debated trying to snooze until the airplane landed, but it was unlikely that he could actually get some rest with the lights on and everyone around him making a racket. Plus, he wanted to get the hell off this plane as fast as possible so he could get some god-forsaken fresh air instead the weird chemical odor that was circulating around the cabin.

With a tap, the screen in front of him came to life, and Levi mindlessly scrolled through to see if there was anything worth watching. There wasn’t enough time for a movie, but other than some old sitcoms there weren’t any other TV series available. Giving up, he randomly chose a title and put on his earphones as it loaded.

Oh, it was _ParadisNews_. Levi didn’t actually know that they had news channels on airplanes. Whatever. At least now he could catch up on what was going on locally and become somewhat informed. It had been years since he set foot in his home country, and if he had a choice, he would continue that record.

Unfortunately, his old man kicked the bucket, and as shitty of a son he was, he couldn’t miss his own father’s funeral. At least, according to his mother, who made it clear—in no uncertain terms—that as the only son he was expected to show up and play the part of a grieving child. Levi probably couldn’t even shed a tear if he tried. But as much as he gave his mom a hard time, he couldn’t leave her to fend off the wolves by herself, so he would make an effort.

God, there better be free wine at the reception. Do people usually have alcohol at funerals? Levi certainly hoped so.

The weatherman was just finishing up a report on the incoming storm expected to hit tonight and continue into tomorrow. Levi groaned internally. A storm meant that he probably couldn’t sneak out from his house and would be stuck dealing with his horrible family. His original plan was to drop off his luggage and dip, only showing up at the official proceedings when needed. Now that was shot.

He wasn’t paying attention to what the news anchor was saying until they switched over to a press conference. Levi didn’t need the subtitles to know that it was Survey Corporation—his family’s company—given the large emblem displayed on the banner behind the podium. As the largest business in Trost, Survey Corps had huge influence and every little update or event was reported dutifully by the mass media. Levi lost count of just how many of these he had been forced to watch or even _attend_ in his younger years _._

Still, he was surprised. It looked like any old press conference—same crowd, same line of people looking bored while standing in the background in their uncomfortable suits. You would think that the death of their CEO would have some impact, but Levi supposed even the CEO takes second priority compared to the company business. After all, Survey Corps wasn’t built up into the conglomerate it is today by wasting time and resources on frivolous things.

“Our next board meeting will take place in February, and we are pleased to report that profits have exceeded our initial projections by 2%. More information will be provided in the press release that will be posted later today.”

Levi snorted. Even after almost a decade, this was boring as ever. Nothing had changed.

He lifted his finger to close the segment and find another episode of _The Office_ to watch when he suddenly heard:

“And now, our President and CEO Kenny Ackerman would like to share a few words.”

Levi froze, his jaw dropping and eyes widening as he saw his father—his supposedly _dead_ father—march up to the podium, looking every bit alive as he had last seen him.

Kenny cleared his throat and began talking, “As you know, for many years it has been the goal of Survey Corps to expand globally. I am very proud to officially announce that this dream has become a reality. By the end of this year, we will be opening our first American office, and we have just closed a deal with our first major North American client in addition to initiating negotiations with our European partners.”

_What the fuck is going on?!_ Levi glared at the screen, looking down at the corner to double check the date—yup, it was still October 20, and yes it was the right year. Kenny continued speaking, but Levi didn’t take in a word as he analyzed his father’s profile, trying to figure out if this was a trick.

His hair was grayer, wrinkles more pronounced, and pallor perhaps a little more unhealthy, but overall, Kenny Ackerman looked just fine. Breathing, functioning, alive, and just as in charge of Survey Corps as he had always been.

A flight attendant was walking past Levi, and he grabbed her by the arm, causing her to yelp.

“Can I help yo—“

“Is this from today?” Levi interrupted, pointing at his screen.

The flight attendant frowned and crouched to look at the mini TV. “Yeah, it says so right there in the corner…The news channel automatically gets loaded every time the plane lands.”

“So Kenny Ackerman is alive?” Levi asked insistently.

“Uh…yes? Is he…not supposed to be?” The attendant looked confused as she flicked her gaze between the perfectly alive Kenny on the screen and Levi.

Levi cursed. “Never mind.” He let go of her arm, and she stood back up and walked away quickly.

This was a trick. It was all a goddamn trick to make him come back to Paradis. For what, Levi didn’t know, but he needed a plan. He needed to make his escape.

Looks like his day just got a whole lot more messy.

* * *

All in all, Levi was pretty proud of himself. He had managed to slip past the two men standing just outside their gate with the sign “Levi Ackerman” held up by ducking behind an obese passenger who was speedily walking towards the restroom. He snuck into a crowd of Asian tourists who were wandering towards the exit and then quickly stepped into an equally large group of college students who were lined up at the help desk. In these times, his 5’3’’ stature proved to be an advantage.

His plan was to buy the next one-way ticket back to America. Business class, economy class—hell, Levi would take it even if the only available seat was the toilet at the back of the plane. He just needed to get out of here immediately.

He was doing great, too, and was about to step up to the counter when suddenly a hand slapped down on his shoulder and pulled him to the side. Levi raised his arm, about to elbow the jackass who dared to touch him, and then stopped.

_Fuck._

“Oh, we were looking everywhere for you, Levi! So glad we caught you,” Furlan’s grin was as wide as ever, and Levi resisted the urge to smack his childhood best friend.

“Cut the shit, Furlan, I know he’s not dead.”

Furlan raised his eyebrow, before bursting into laughter. “Geez, not even a hello to your best buddy? Come on, when’s the last time I saw you? It’s been what—two, three years?”

“Tch, stop being so dramatic. I’m sure we had a Skype call or something just a few months ago.” Levi scowled at him.

“Ah, but it’s not the same as seeing you in the flesh! Come on Levi—“ Furlan opened his arms, ready to envelope him in a hug.

Levi’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare—“

Furlan dared. He held Levi tightly and rocked him left and right dramatically, exactly in the way he knew Levi _loathed,_ until Levi managed to wrangle his way out and hiss at him angrily, much like an irate cat.

“And to think I even prepared this whole monologue to comfort you about your dear old father’s death,” Furlan chortled, reaching out to grab Levi’s luggage and drag it with him as the shorter man sighed and followed reluctantly. He had been caught and bested, and knew there was no way out, not with the 10 other men from the company Furlan had brought with him as backup, who were situated nearby.

“Please, if you really wanted to convince me you would’ve offered to take me to _Maria’s_ for a celebration.”

“Seriously? You think I should’ve invited you _clubbing_ to take your mind off your dad snuffing it?”

“Who said take my mind off of it? I want to be fully aware when I’m toasting to him finally being six feet under. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”

“Pssh, don’t be so cold-hearted. I know you love him, even if you’ll never admit it.”

Levi shoved Furlan in the shoulder, nearly sending him toppling before he righted himself smartly. “‘ _Love_ ’ my ass. The bastard can burn in hell for all I care.”

Furlan merely hummed noncommittally as they exited the airport and reached the sleek, black limo waiting for them outside. The men that had been following them dutifully packed Levi’s luggage into the trunk as the two made their way into the car.

Levi sighed in appreciation as he sat down on the plush, padded seats, kicking up his feet to rest on the small table situated in the middle of the vehicle. Furlan handed him a cold bottle of water that he gratefully opened and immediately started drinking.

“You know, we should take a picture or something. Commemorate this beautiful occasion.” Furlan chuckled.

Levi cast him an unamused glance, before bringing his camera bag, which he had been cradling preciously throughout the entire trip, even closer to him. “Why would I want to remember how my supposed best friend decided to abduct me? I swear to god, I better be able to get out of here within the week or I will personally ensure you can never procreate.”

Furlan held his hands up in surrender. “Aw, but what’s the point of having my best friend be a professional photographer if he won’t even take photos with me?”

“Use your phone, dumbass. I’m not wasting my film on you.”

“You’re still using that old camera? Haven’t changed one bit, have you? You know they have something called _digital_ now?”

He had to dodge a well-aimed kick from Levi. “I fucking _use_ digital, dumbass, otherwise how am I supposed to find work? But that can never replicate the _true art_ I capture using this one.”

Levi patted his camera bag with a uniquely tender affection he reserved only for his one true love. It was an old film camera that he saw in an antique store as a teenager, and he begged and pleaded with his mother to buy it for him despite her trying to explain how much of a hassle it would be to develop the pictures and how he could easily get the top-of-the-line digital cameras, but he wouldn’t listen. It was with this device that he discovered his passion for photography, and no matter what kind of shoot he went on he would always bring it with him.

At the moment, it was also filled with undeveloped film from his latest venture to the Nordics. He made it a habit to always get it developed as soon as possible in case, heaven forbid, something happened to it, but his mother’s urgent call for him to return home prevented him from getting it done. Now that he knew that his father’s death was merely a front, Levi’s first priority would be to find a store to take care of his photos as soon as possible. They were his most prized ones to date, and despite his penchant for being overly self-critical, even Levi was unabashedly proud of just how amazing the shots had turned out—he was confident they would take home a prize at the upcoming International Photography Awards, something that he had been working towards all his life.

Besides, maybe—just maybe—receiving the highest photography honor in the world would finally make his father acknowledge his talent and the success he had built for himself. Maybe Kenny Ackerman would finally accept Levi’s chosen profession and he could receive the approval he craved for all his life at long last.

Not that Levi cared, of course.


	2. Money Can’t Buy Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi reunites with his dear old family. Their backstory is explained. Arguments ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rich people, man.

Levi paused in the stone walkway leading up to the front door, craning his head up to look at the home he hadn’t seen in years.

Not much had changed. The mansion was as well maintained as ever, without a hint of ivy or moss peeping in between the glittering silver rocks. The grounds were covered with plush, green grass and lined with perfectly trimmed shrubs that stood proudly upright. The wrought iron fence that surrounded the property was so polished it gleamed in the sunlight.

Levi hated it. He hated the way it practically screamed wealth, the way everything was unnaturally prim and proper and completely devoid of any warmth. It was a home, certainly. But it wasn’t his home.

He didn’t grow up here, running around the mansion grounds with butlers chasing after him as he breathed in the smell of the freshly mown grass. No, he grew up in a dingy one-bedroom apartment in the city, where he had to wake up at 4 AM to shower because that was the only time there was enough hot water to use. He spent his free time playing at the nearby pond, tossing pebbles across the brown and murky water to see how many times he could get them to bounce before they sunk. He invested hours into cleaning the apartment, but no matter how hard he scrubbed he could never get rid of the layer of grime that seemed to coat everything in that part of the city.

This mansion had everything he wished for, _dreamed of_ as a child. But it was only after he came here that he discovered how this image of perfection was merely an illusion, and the price of being part of upper society was one that he wasn’t willing to pay.

Besides, he was a bastard. A child of a mistress. No matter how many expensive trinkets he wore, he would never be accepted, never fit in. The side-eye looks he would get at evening balls, the thinly veiled jabs that seemed to strike harder than any punch he had ever gotten in a fight, the cold laughs that did more damage than the profanity-filled insults people used to yell at him at school were grim reminders of that.

The truth that enraged Levi most of all was that his mother Kuchel wasn’t even a mistress. She was Kenny’s first love, not Traute, but unfortunately it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter when she became pregnant with Levi. Kuchel was not from a family of means—she was merely a hardworking employee at Survey Corps, and that wasn’t enough for the Ackermans to accept her amongst their ranks. No matter what lengths Kenny went to—supposedly went to, at least, for in Levi’s mind his father had never loved them enough to truly try—he was forced into a marriage with the daughter of a manufacturing mogul, all for the sake of integrating the city’s businesses into the modern day Survey Corps conglomerate.

After giving birth to Hitch, Traute went through multiple miscarriages, and every doctor she encountered told her the same thing—another birth would endanger her life, significantly, and likely end in an unhealthy infant that was unlikely to live past three years old. It was only after the acceptance that she would never have a son that the Ackermans decided to let Kuchel and Levi in. After all, Survey Corps was to be passed on to the next son in the Ackerman line—even if he was illegitimate, he was the preferred option over Hitch, who was not only a daughter but also seven years younger and proved to be incapable of handling the business given her straight C’s in school.

So, when Levi was twelve years old, he and his mother were finally allowed into this mansion. For the first time, Levi experienced what it was like to have a full belly every night, hot water available 24 hours a day, and his own room that was over twice the size of the apartment he grew up in. He transferred from the inner city school with dilapidated lockers and leaky rooftops to Rose Preparatory Academy, where there were expensive uniforms and even a fucking school stable for the equestrian team.

He hated it there. He didn’t grow up learning about different types of forks and their placement on the table and he didn’t use the fancy vocabulary that his classmates spoke with annoying affected accents. Levi preferred to call everything and everyone _shitty shitstains_ and use his fists to resolve arguments, which he got into trouble for on multiple occasions.

He would have gotten expelled, but his father’s money and Furlan’s friendship saved him. Furlan was one of the only people at the school he didn’t despise, probably because he could at least somewhat understand what it was like to grow up without money. His parents, through hard work and tenacity, made their way up from entry-level interns to upper management at Survey Corps, and their innovative ideas helped galvanize the company’s rapid development and expansion. So while Furlan lived comfortably by the time he and Levi met, he and his family still remembered their poorer days and lived frugally, and it was through a scholarship that he was able to attend Rose.

Unfortunately for Furlan, tragedy struck when he was in high school. His father had been found guilty of money laundering and lying to stakeholders about Survey Corps profits, leading to a huge crash in the company stock that took years to recover from. He maintained his innocence and Levi, who spent more time at their home than his own, fully believed that he was framed. Furlan’s parents were honest, hardworking, down-to-earth people that would be the last ones on Earth to do such a thing, but the evidence was too damning.

Before he could be taken shamefully to prison and witness the destruction of his family, Furlan’s father took his own life, and the resulting despair caused his wife to fall sick and join him soon after. Furlan was left with nothing and no one, and Levi and Kuchel used the savings they built up gradually from their allowances—the family wealth was guarded strictly, after all—to help him get back on his feet, and convinced Kenny that he should not be held liable for his father’s supposed sins and got him a job at the company after he graduated from college on a full scholarship.

Since then, Furlan tapped into the industrious spirit inherited from his parents to laboriously redeem himself and his family name, and it paid off. He was now the youngest director in the company, managing a team of 50 people in strategy and operations, without so much as a parking ticket to his record.

What happened to Furlan only further intensified Levi’s hatred of Trost’s rich and wealthy. They would stop at nothing—even driving an innocent man to commit suicide and destroying one of the few good families in the city—to maintain their power. So, Levi swore to never allow himself to be used as a pawn in their game. He rejected his place as the Survey Corps heir and pursued his passion for photography, consequences be damned. He would make a name for himself on his own terms with his own talent, not through an inheritance that was tainted with the blood of who knows how many men, women, and children.

Levi looked grimly at the front door as he continued walking up. It was time to reunite with his dear old father.

* * *

The table was silent, save for the the slight _clinks_ as silverware touched the plates and the soft chewing as people ate quietly.

This wasn’t out of the ordinary. Despite the fact it had been years since Levi had been home and they had everyone present for a family dinner, their faces were as cold and impassive as ever. Kenny drank his red wine neutrally, Traute dabbed at her face with a handkerchief haughtily, and Hitch pretended that Levi didn’t exist, as usual. Only Kuchel’s warm smiles and reassuring hand squeezes kept him grounded, along with the generous amount of champagne he poured himself. If he was going to be stuck with these bastards, might as well do it with the pleasant buzz of alcohol.

The dishes were soon cleared and dessert—black forest cake—was served. Levi wondered to himself if the silence was entirely due to his presence, or if normal meals were also like this. When it was just Kenny, Traute, and Hitch, would it also be this tense and suffocating? More likely than not, it was, as they were all part of the born-and-bred rich, and having a stick up their ass seemed to be in their blood, Levi thought internally.

The quiet passage of time made Levi miss his life back home—his home. New York City was always bustling—whether it be the sound of angry taxi drivers honking or tourists chattering or street performers singing and dancing, there was always so much life and energy. Even when Levi retired to his apartment, his neighbor Hanji would be texting or calling him about whatever came to their mind, opting to knock on his door if he didn’t respond fast enough.

He would always complain, or yell— _can you shut up for_ one _fucking second, shitty glasses?!—_ but it never truly bothered him. Hanji’s boundless, chaotic zeal was wonderfully fresh compared to the heavy, somber atmosphere that pervaded every inch of his family’s house and chilled him to his bones.

Kenny put down his fork and raised the linen napkin to wipe his face before standing up and walking to the living room. Automatically, the rest of the family, including Levi, followed suit dutifully. There were rules and expectations for every single thing in the Ackerman household, including proper protocol for the end of a meal. The meal ended when Kenny was done, and it didn’t matter if you were still eating or if you had to wait two hours. Nobody left before Kenny, and nobody was to stay once Kenny left.

Everyone settled in the sleek leather couches, Kenny seated at the head in the sole 1-person chair, Traute and Hitch on his right, Kuchel and Levi at his left. A maid walked up to Kenny and whispered something into his ear before he nodded and said, “Bring them in.”

Levi knew better than to ask. He would only get information that Kenny needed him to know, nothing more, nothing less. Levi sometimes wondered if his father would notice if he was replaced by another person, or even some inanimate object like a statue. Probably not.

The front door opened, and everyone turned their heads towards the entrance as a petite young woman with dark red hair came in, accompanied by an older man and woman with several more servants and maids.

Levi wanted to call out a greeting, but that would bring more trouble than it was worth. Nobody was to speak out of turn in the Ackerman household, especially when guests were present.

Kenny stood, and everyone followed. “Mr. and Mrs. Magnolia! And of course, the lovely young Ms. Magnolia—it is our pleasure to welcome you to our fine home.” He smiled and reached out as the Magnolias each shook his hand in turn, before they went down the line to the other family members.

When the young red-haired woman reached Levi, her smile widened, and he squeezed her hand back in turn. “Long time no see, Izzy,” he whispered and she winked at him in response, her cheeks reddening slightly.

“It brings us no greater joy than this fine occasion,” Mr. Magnolia responded, his gravelly voice warm.

Mrs. Magnolia nodded in agreement and added with a laugh, “Why, time surely has passed so quickly. The last we spoke of the matter was what—ten years ago?”

“Yes, your memory sure is as sharp as ever,” Kenny said, chuckling in turn.

Mr and Mrs. Magnolia sat next to Hitch to Kenny’s right and Isabel slid into the seat next to Levi, her hand placed next to his, fingers almost touching, but not quite.

“Well, I know you’re both busy people, so I think we can dive right in. We’re here to discuss the matter of Ms. Magnolia’s marriage with my son Levi.”

Levi didn’t react. From the moment he saw the Magnolias come in, he knew what this was about. After all, their marriage was already arranged, as Mrs. Magnolia said, ten years ago, when Isabel turned 16. He had known all of his life that they were to be wedded, and it was only a matter of when.

The Magnolias owned the shipping company that controlled all the ports in Paradis, and with Survey Corp’s goal of global expansion, this was the natural next step—consolidate the two and build the empire into an even bigger one.

He didn’t have a problem with it. Actually, this was the only thing he didn’t have a problem with. Levi was introduced to Isabel when he was 14 and she 12, and though her visits to their house were infrequent, he also saw her at Rose Academy at events and in the hallways. Despite her upbringing as the only daughter of the shipping mogul, she was far from spoiled.

It was her lively spirit that truly saved Furlan from falling into a depression following his family’s downfall, as Levi’s reticent and reserved nature made it difficult for him to be of emotional comfort. She befriended Furlan initially because he was friends with Levi, and it grew into a genuine companionship. She refused to turn her back on him even when it seemed the whole city was ready to cast aside the boy. During that time, it was the three of them against the world, and Levi would always appreciate Izzy for what she did.

What he did have a problem with was taking over as Survey Corp’s next President and CEO. He wanted to marry Izzy and live a life far away from Paradis, where they could be out of the claws of their parents’ influence and be truly free. There were many, much more capable people to take over the reins of the company—Erwin Smith, for example, Levi’s upperclassman mentor at Rose and one of the few people he respected.

“Yes, yes, I was just talking to our dear Isabel the other day, and we think it would be wonderful to have a summer wedding,” Mrs. Magnolia smiled.

“Oh, that sounds absolutely beautiful,” Kuchel exclaimed, beaming as she looked over at her son and future daughter-in-law.

Traute and Hitch exchanged a look, both of them scowling but not saying anything. Levi knew that the two of them hated everything about him and his mother, and had tried—and failed—in their many attempts to bring them down and somehow make Hitch the next heir. This marriage would only solidify Levi’s place and render their goals impossible.

“That’s perfect,” Kenny agreed. “We think, then, it would be best to announce the engagement soon—perhaps on Christmas? With the holidays and Levi’s birthday, it would make quite a sweet story.”

Levi rolled his eyes internally. Of course, Kenny probably had the marketing team send out a survey to gauge people’s reactions on everything from the date to how the engagement should happen. He wouldn’t be surprised if they even already wrote out a script for what he was to say and tested the wording with focus groups.

“Oh, the media would go wild,” Mr. Magnolia clapped in excitement. Of course, it was all about appearances and improving public opinion. Not about how this would be a big moment in his daughter’s life.

“Well, then it seems like we’re all good to go.” Kenny stood up, and everyone else got to their feet too. “My people will be in touch about the ring fitting and the rest of the details soon.”

“We look forward to it,” Mr. Magnolia shook hands with Kenny to seal the deal before he gestured for his wife and daughter to follow him.

Isabel looked over her shoulder and shouted out a “Bye, Levi!”, exiting through the door after he waved back.

The moment the door closed, Kenny’s previously polite smile dropped into a deep frown as he finally looked at Levi.

“So,” he boomed, voice completely devoid of the little warmth and emotion he had shown the Magnolias. “My son has returned.”

Levi turned to glare back at him. “So, you’re alive,” he mocked, imitating his dramatic delivery.

“Don’t give me that sass, boy.”

“I’ll give you whatever the hell I want.”

Kuchel reached her arms out, as though to placate Levi. “Come on, Levi, you know your father has your best interests at heart.”

“You mean the company’s best interest,” Levi corrected. “If me getting hit by a car would bump up the stock price, I’m sure he’d be the first one to get in the driver’s seat.”

“ _Levi,_ your father would never—“

“Yes, he would,” Levi was done with this conversation. “He let his son and _dear_ wife live like starving rats in the city until he was _allowed_ to bring us back. He wouldn’t even dare take a shit if the Ackerman family didn’t allow him.”

Kenny slammed his fist into the wooden table. “Now you’ve gone too far, boy!”

They were locked in a silent staring contest, neither willing to give in, until Kenny curled his mouth into a sneer. “Like bringing you in did any good, anyways. All you’ve done is waste your potential on some silly phototaking—why can’t you do something _useful_ for your life, for once?”

Levi twitched, his fingers clenched tightly into a fist as he tried to hold himself back from giving his dear old dad a good punch in the fucking face. It didn’t help when Kenny grabbed his camera bag, which was previously stored safely under the table.

“Give it back!” Levi shouted, moving forward to grab the straps from his father’s hands, but Kenny pulled it away quickly, unzipping and lifting the camera up to hold in front of him.

Kuchel had to physically pull Levi back from launching himself at Kenny as his heartbeat quickened. It was _his_ camera, his precious camera, he couldn’t let anything happen to it, he couldn’t—

“This? This is the reason why you turn your back on your family?” Kenny’s voice darkened. “This _useless piece of shit_ is why you still won’t fulfill your goddamn duty?”

Time seemed to slow down and Levi watched in horror as Kenny pulled the film— _the film, the film, the beautiful photos he had taken in the Nordics, the ones he hadn’t developed yet_ —violently ripping them to shreds as he threw the camera down and the device— _his first joy, the one that ignited his passion for the very discipline that was his life now_ —shattered into a hundred pieces, clattering loudly on the marble floor.

“YOU BASTARD!” Levi fell to his knees as he desperately scrabbled at the remains of his—his—his life’s work, the greatest work he had captured in his fifteen years of practice, the photos that had taken him weeks of traveling in the cold Arctic to get, what was supposed to be the crown jewel of his collection and finally win—finally _prove_ to his father that this wasn’t a waste, wasn’t just a hobby, was something beautiful and exquisite—something to be _treasured_ and something that would finally make his father look at him with pride and approval.

Levi’s hands shook—he could feel his head tensing with an incoming migraine, headache, panic, what have you, he felt like his heart was crushed and lay with the remnants of his art. The tear that rolled involuntarily down his face burned, and ignited a fury within Levi that he knew he could no longer control.

He launched himself at Kenny, causing his father to crack his head against the floor with a loud _thud_ and he couldn’t hear the screams around him, he could only focus on _beating, punching_ this monster who had never cared for him, who never saw him as a son, who probably never even saw him as a person.

He didn’t register that his attacks weren’t hitting their target anymore, that several people were pulling him away, that Kenny was sitting up and coughing until he heard his mother cry into his ear, pleading, “Please, please stop, Levi!”

His hands fell limply to his side, the fight leaving his body as his eyes went back to the pile of glass and metal that was his life’s greatest joy.

He saw his father’s mouth moving, but the threats and violence that his father was surely promising never reached his ears as Levi pushed himself up off the floor and sprinted out the door, grabbing his car keys as he flew down the steps, away from this fucked up house, this fucked up family.

Levi was running, running, running, leaving behind this life that was never meant to be his.


	3. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi leaves his family, only to run into unexpected trouble during the storm. Eren and Mikasa find an injured stranger on the side of the road and bring him to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9/10/20 - 3rd chapter in 3 days? Let's hope this continues.

Levi didn’t know where he was going, just that he couldn’t stop. He drove for hours, drove until the colossal skyscrapers were just a blur in the background and the street lights started to thin out.

He couldn’t go on forever, though, and the flashing red light that indicated the tank was starting to empty brought him out of his stupor and he stopped at the first gas station he saw.

After he finished filling up, he walked to the small ATM next to the run-down corner store and inserted his black debit card.

Kuchel had long taught him to be careful with money, never take too much at once, lest it be misunderstood and used as a weapon for Traute and Hitch to twist into some conspiracy that would certainly reach his father’s ears.

_Like that fucking matters anymore_ , Levi thought to himself as he victoriously entered the numbers to withdraw the maximum amount of $10,000 the ATM allowed from the family account. Knowing Kenny, he would probably cancel his cards, so he might as well get a final _fuck you_ in before that happened.

Levi didn’t need his father’s money, and never did. He made a comfortable amount from his photos—because he was a goddamn good photographer—and his days living in the city with his mother had taught him how to make every dime stretch into a dollar. He hadn’t touched his family’s account in years, not since he last lived in Paradis.

Somehow, it felt wrong to put the bills in his wallet along with the money that he rightfully earned, so Levi stuffed it into his inner coat pocket and returned his wallet to his front pocket. He hated feeling like there was a lump on his ass when he was driving so preferred to keep it there.

As Levi contemplated his next steps—such as figuring out where the fuck he even was—a young man that had been hanging around approached him.

“Hey dude, uh…listen, I wanted to ask if I could get a ride?”

Levi glared at the guy, looking at him up and down. He was in his late-twenties, way too skinny, and needed a shower about two days ago. However, his brown eyes were wide and pleading, and after Levi heard the grumble coming from his stomach, his frozen heart thawed, just a little. He knew what it was like to be hungry, to have to cast aside your pride and ask others for help, to be in the guy’s shoes. Plus, the man was surprisingly around Levi’s height, which wasn’t something he encountered too often, so he could probably take him in a fight if it came to that.

“Fine,” Levi said shortly. “But get one speck of dirt in my car, and your ass is going out the window.”

“I won’t, I won’t, I promise!” The stranger grinned, following him to his BMW and carefully getting into the shotgun seat.

“Where are you headed?” Levi asked, buckling his seatbelt and stretching his right arm out a little as he prepared for more driving. The heavy gold watch on his wrist was heavy, but he didn’t want to take it off. It was one of a kind, the only gift he had gotten from his grandfather.

The stranger was staring at the watch, his mouth slightly open, and Levi snapped his fingers impatiently. “Oi, brat, you better hurry up or you’re walking.”

He flinched and looked back up at Levi. “Ah! Sorry! Uh, I’m just down this way about thirty minutes. It’ll be obvious when we get there.”

The directions were easy enough, so Levi didn’t say anything more before he eased the car onto the road.

Sure enough, the storm that the weatherman predicted started to build, and soon the windshield wipers were working overtime as they brushed away the water pouring down from the sky. At least they were already in the car—Levi loathed getting wet; it always made him feel sticky and filthy.

They drove in silence, with only the rapid _pitter patter_ of the downpour making noise in the background. The stranger kept fiddling his fingers, occasionally pocketing his hands and rummaging around before bringing them back out.

The road was empty, and everything looked the same as they continued, except one side had gradually shifted from an empty, grassy field into a downward hilly slope.

Levi had mentally checked out during the silence, but when he flicked his eyes to look at the time he saw that almost an hour had passed since he had gotten on the road. There were no buildings in sight, just a continuance of road, road, and more road.

“Oi, are we there yet? I need to get back soon.” Get back where, Levi still hadn’t decided yet, but he was getting impatient.

“Oh, sorry, you can just drop me off here,” the guy said quietly, unbuckling his seat belt.

There was nothing here, but Levi didn’t bother questioning him. If he wanted to find another vehicle to hitchhike out here in the storm, when no car had appeared in the last half hour, then it was his problem.

Levi clicked the button to unlock the door when he suddenly felt cold metal press against his throat.

_Fuck._

“Give me your watch,” the stranger he so kindly helped growled, his eyes flashing as his other hand pulled harshly on Levi’s hair so his head was snapped back, neck bared.

_Fuck._ How could he be so stupid? He let some random guy on his car without even considering the possibility he might be a mugger or thief or serial killer. Now, Levi had no weapon, and though the effects of the alcohol he previously ingested at dinner had mostly faded away, there was still a slight weakness to his body. He was defenseless.

“Just take it,” Levi spat, flicking his right wrist at the bastard, who quickly unclasped it and stuffed it in his pocket.

“And your wallet!” The knife dug into his neck even more, and Levi could feel it starting to cut the skin.

_Bastard, you fucking bastard._ “Front pocket.” The thief was quick to pull it out and stuff it in his jacket before opening the front door and forcing Levi out of the car and into the pouring rain.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_ Levi watched in shock as the man slid into his seat, knife still out to prevent Levi from coming closer.

_No. Not today, Satan._ Levi didn’t care if he was being stupidly reckless, he was not going to let this asshole steal his wallet and watch and now his car. He shot his hand out and twisted the thief’s arm until the knife clattered onto the road, causing the man to cry out in pain, before pulling him out and throwing him onto the ground.

Unexpectedly, the stranger dodged Levi’s next punch quickly, rolling away before giving Levi a strike of his own without hesitation.

It was a lucky shot, one that Levi could have easily avoided under normal circumstances, but the combined effects of the jetlag, huge blowup with his father, heavy rain, and remaining alcohol in his system dulled his senses. Levi gasped as his head crashed against the car, feeling his skull explode with pain as a sticky wetness started to pool in his hair.

_Fuck._

Levi managed to duck before the bastard’s next punch landed, and as he fell on the ground one of his hands grabbed onto something hard.

_The knife._

He quickly threw his weight towards the direction of the attacker, fist flying down to stab him. He dodged, and Levi struck down again, but ended up stabbing the tire instead of the thief.

_Well, that’s not good._

He pulled with all his weight, and though the knife budged, it was stuck, at least for now. The attacker used this moment to crash into Levi, causing him to flip over the hood of the car and land on the other side, his back towards the downward hill he had noticed earlier.

_Shit, shit, shit._ If the thief pushed him over the edge, he was done for. It didn’t look steep at first glance, the area closest the road mostly flat, but it seemed to veer downward quickly, though it was too dark to see what lay further.

As Levi snapped his eyes to look back at the bastard, he knew he was in trouble. His vision was blurry, and everything seemed to be swaying. He must have hit his head harder than he thought.

He leapt to the side when he saw the dark shape come towards him, and thought that maybe he lucked out and the guy’s momentum would take him over the edge when he suddenly felt a searing pain in his side.

Confused, Levi looked down and saw his shirt darkening with blood, a flat object sticking out.

The son-of-a-bitch had another knife. _Fuck._

Levi couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything as his hazy mind registered that he had been shoved back, one, two, three times, and suddenly the ground beneath him wasn’t gravelly anymore, it was spiky and grassy and wet—

_Oh shit,_ Levi thought, as he started crashing down the hill.

* * *

“You know you can get a ticket for driving too slow, right?” Mikasa informed Eren helpfully, unaffected by the glare he threw in her direction.

“ _Excuse me_ for trying to be a safe driver,” Eren muttered through gritted teeth. His hands were clenched so hard on the steering wheel that his knuckles turned white, and his shoulders were stiffened so much that he knew he would definitely be sore tomorrow.

To Mikasa’s credit, she persevered through several more minutes of Eren’s clunky 20mph driving before she finally started again. “Eren! Seriously, there’s literally _no one here_!”

She was right. Though it was dark and they only had the car’s headlights to illuminate the road, it was empty as could be. Of course, it was for this reason that they were out now, as Eren resolutely refused to venture out if there was even a chance he might get into an accident. To further reduce the risk, Eren insisted that Mikasa take him a half hour away from Shiganshina before they switched seats and he took the wheel.

“Well, what if I go too fast and I accidentally go over the edge and we tumble down the hill? What happens then, Mikasa?!” Eren gestured to the hill on their right with his head, too afraid of losing control of the vehicle to let go of steering for even a moment.

“If you can make even a dent on the metal rails going at this speed, I’ll give you $20.”

“Ok, ok, ok, fine!” Eren pressed slightly harder on the gas, and his breath hitched as the car sped up to 30, then 40 mph.

“Holy crap, crap, crap, we’re going so fast,” Eren clenched his teeth, hissing a “shut it!” at Mikasa when she covered her mouth in a laugh.

“Who knew that the ‘suicidal bastard’ of Shiganshina can’t even handle driving at the speed limit?” Mikasa snickered.

“You know what,” Eren’s temper flared as he finally turned his head to the right, risking taking his eyes off the road to retort to his sister. “Fuck you.”

“I thought you were gay.”

“Mikasa, I _swear—“_

Before Eren could finish and let Mikasa know exactly what he was swearing, she suddenly screamed, and he slammed on the brakes on instinct, joining in with his own embarrassingly high-pitched shriek as the vehicle halted abruptly, causing their heads to snap backwards against the headrest.

“What—“ Eren and Mikasa both screamed again as they stared at the dark shape standing in front of the car in horror.

It was a drenched person—ghost—zombie—some entity with pale skin, dark, wet hair, and most striking of all— _blood_ running down his—its—face.

Eren was seriously considering flooring the gas and running whatever the _fuck_ that was over and getting the _fuck_ out of here, but the thing collapsed and fell on the ground out of sight.

“It’s a person!” Mikasa opened the car door and jumped out, leaving Eren to curse as he also exited into the storm. Whatever fears he had about the potential zombie-monster hybrid that may have just walked right out of a Stephen King novel, his brotherly instincts won out—he could never let Mikasa run into danger alone.

As Eren joined her in front of the car, he realized she was right. It was a person, and he didn’t look good. His clothes were rumpled and stained with what looked like grass and mud—that could only mean he somehow rolled down the hill to their right. His skin was deathly pale, and there was a dark stain pooling on his side and a knife embedded in the middle of it. It looked he had been stabbed and pushed off the side of the road, and if he didn’t get help soon, _murdered_ would soon join that list.

“We have to get him to the hospital now or else he’ll die,” Eren said grimly, scanning over the wounds with a critical eye before crouching down to carefully lift the man up, walking slowly over to the backseat.

“Got it!” Mikasa ran up to the driver’s seat, adding in an entirely unnecessary, “I’ll drive, though” to which Eren leveled an exasperated _are you serious_ look back.

The tires screeched as Mikasa did a quick u-turn and they headed in the direction of Shiganshina.

Eren looked down at the stranger and brushed his wet bangs aside so they didn’t cover his face, using a spare sweater he had in the backseat to cover his head and attempt to dry him off. His breathing was shallow, and his eyebrows were furrowed as though in pain, which he probably was, considering the knife that was still embedded in him.

“Just hang on, ok? You’re safe now,” Eren murmured softly, bringing his other arm up so he could hold the man’s cold hand, squeezing his fingers slightly in comfort, thumb running soothing circles over the knuckles.

He might have imagined it, but he could have sworn that the stranger squeezed back in response.

* * *

“John Doe, mid-20s, serious head injury, stab wound, and possible bone fractures!” The previously quiet hospital was now full of noise as the night shift staff pushed the injured man on the stretcher towards their small operating room.

“Who’s the on-call tonight?” Eren asked the front desk attendant Mina, too accustomed to the going-ons of the hospital to panic at the onslaught of chaos that occurred whenever an emergency case arrived. He had given the key information to the doctors and left it in their hands, knowing that he would only get in the way if he tried anything more. They wouldn’t have any updates until after the surgery was over, so Eren had a long evening ahead.

“It was supposed to be Kruger, but he had a home emergency so he couldn’t make it. Only Marco was available to take over, so it looks like he’ll be the one operating.”

Eren couldn’t help feel a twinge of nervousness. Talented and capable as Marco was, he had just started his residency. It would’ve been better if an attending was present, but given the small size of Shiganshina and the relatively light patient load, there were only two attending surgeons and a handful of residents in the whole town.

This was a rather serious case, but Eren pushed down his misgivings and reminded himself of how Marco had treated similar wounds before, albeit more superficial in severity. Besides, better Marco, who took his responsibilities earnestly, than another resident, who was likely just biding his time until he could finish and move to a bigger hospital in the city.

Eren thanked Mina before walking over to Mikasa, who was seated in the waiting room. “You should go home and get some rest—I’ll stay here and keep you updated.”

Mikasa frowned as she squeezed rainwater out of her hair. “Eren, there’s no point in staying here. We can’t do anything until the surgery finishes, anyways, and then he’ll need to recover. Let’s just go home and come back in the morning to give the police our testimony.”

Eren shook his head. “Look—“ he reached up to push his drenched hair back as he tried to formulate a response. “I know that I can’t do anything here. But—but he has no one else. He was attacked and left to die—by who, we don’t know. What we do know is that he probably has a family out there—a brother, sister, mother, father, girlfriend, whatever—that’s worried about him. Waiting, praying for him to come home. I can’t help, but what I can do is stay here until I know he’s ok. And if it turns out he’s not going to be ok, at least he’ll have someone by his side who can share his last moments with him.”

He wasn’t sure what overcame him—he didn’t know the guy, after all—but Eren had never felt more certain of the fact that he _needed_ to stay here. Images flashed through his mind in that moment—his mother, laughing, cooking, sleeping, crying, _dying, dying on the side of the road, alone_ —and Eren blinked as he willed away those unpleasant thoughts.

Mikasa’s face softened as understanding washed over her, and she nodded. “Just make sure to get some rest too, alright?”

She gripped his hand firmly and reassuringly before letting go and heading out the door.

After she left, Eren dropped down in the chair and leaned back against the wall.

_Whoever you are, please be ok,_ he prayed silently. _I’ll be waiting out here for you._


	4. Found, But Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi awakens with no recollection of what happened or who he is. Thankfully, Eren is there to help him pick up the pieces.

Dawn was breaking when Marco finally came out of the operating room. Eren jolted when he heard the footsteps and shot up, rubbing his eyes blearily as he asked, “How’d it go?”

“We were able to stitch up the laceration and give him a blood transfusion, so the stab wound was taken care of. His left leg has a slight fracture, and he’ll need to stay off of it for a few weeks.”

Eren let out a sigh of relief. “That’s great, then! So, he’ll make a full recovery and be out of here soon, right?”

“Not exactly.”

A feeling of dread washed over him. “What do you mean?”

Marco frowned as he made eye contact with Eren. “Unfortunately, his head injury was pretty serious. The scans don’t show any brain bleeds, which is good, but until he wakes up—which isn’t always guaranteed, in these cases—we won’t know the extent of the damage.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah…” Marco trailed off regretfully. “He seems like a fighter though. He made it all the way here, didn’t he? And survived surgery. We just have to believe in him.” He reached out to pat Eren on the shoulder.

“You’re right. Thanks, Marco. You saved his life.” And Eren meant it. It was a long surgery, and he did it successfully without any help from his supervisors.

Marco smiled. “Do you want to go see him?”

“Sure.”

Eren followed Marco into the recovery wing, where he saw the man hooked up to several machines and heard the steady _beep, beep, beep_ of the heart monitor. He was in a hospital gown, and now that his face was free of the blood and mud stains, his angular features and sharp jaw were more prominent. It was hard to tell how old the man was, but he looked to be in his mid-twenties, maybe slightly older than Eren.

“Do you want to stay here with him?” Marco asked. “I can bring a chair over so you can sit down.”

Eren reached out to grasp the man’s hand, running his fingers over the knuckles, feeling the warmth and the faint _baddup baddup baddup_ of his heartbeat.

“It’s fine.” Now that he knew the man was alive and well, Eren finally began to feel the effects of the exhausting long and sleepless night. His clothes had dried, but they were stiff and sticking to him uncomfortably. “I’m going to go home and get some rest, but could you ask the front desk to call me when he wakes up?”

“Sure thing. My shift is wrapping up so I’m going to get my stuff and head out too. Do you want a ride? I heard Mikasa took the car.”

“Aww, thanks. You’re the best, Marco.”

“No problem, Eren.”

* * *

By the time Eren woke up, it was already afternoon. He let out a groan as he sat up and stretched, rolling his shoulders and wincing at the tightness. He really needed to learn how to drive without being so tense.

Mikasa was poring over paperwork at the dining table when he entered, pointing towards the sandwich in front of his usual seat without a word.

Eren gratefully dug in, and they sat together in a comfortable silence for a while as Eren ate before Mikasa finally spoke up.

“The hospital called earlier. The police want us to go give a testimony when we can.”

“Did they say anything about the man? Is he awake yet?”

“No, he’s still unconscious. His condition is stable though, so they didn’t sound too worried.”

“Ok.” Eren popped the last bite into his mouth before standing up to wash the plate in the kitchen.

“We can go now, if you’d like.” Mikasa said, organizing the files into a neat pile. “Mylius is watching the store today, so I can come with you.”

“Yeah, I’ll just grab a coat and then we can leave.” Eren ran up the stairs and into his room, scooping up his blue jacket. Before he shut the door, however, he paused.

The clothes the man wore probably had to be thrown out, leaving him with just the hospital gown. Though he was a lot taller than the stranger, Eren rummaged through his closet to find a spare set of clothes to bring with him.

Eren was never the most organized, and this actually came in handy now. He had a pile of old apparel from his high school years that he meant to donate but forgot to, and he picked out a few pieces and threw them in a small bag before finally heading downstairs.

“Ready?”

“Yup, let’s go.”

* * *

“So, you didn’t see anyone else nearby?” The police officer, Kitz Woermann, asked as he flipped to a new page in his small notebook.

“Well,” Eren exchanged a look with Mikasa, who shrugged. “We weren’t exactly searching around, but we didn’t hear or see anyone else there.”

“And this was around 30 minutes away down Ragako Road?”

“Maybe a little bit more? We were 30 minutes out before I started driving—“

“No, at your speed, we barely moved. So, yes, basically 30 minutes away.” Mikasa interrupted.

Eren looked disgruntled as Kitz finished writing and told them, “Well, that’s all we need. We’ll let you know if we have any more questions.” He snapped the notebook shut and walked away after a brief goodbye.

“Do you think they’ll catch the guy?” Eren asked after Kitz left.

“Please, it’s Kitz. Of course not.”

“But this is serious! What if it’s a serial killer?! What if this happens again?”

“Then Gustav will take over and actually get something done.”

Unfortunately, Mikasa was probably right. Before they could continue their conversation, however, they heard a commotion coming from the patient wing.

“He’s awake!” That’s all Eren needed to hear before he ran over to see what was going on, Mikasa following closely behind. The man was the only person in the patient wing when Eren visited last night, so it had to be him.

He was shoving aside the nurses who were trying to measure his vitals and shouting, “Get away from me!” when Eren and Mikasa entered.

“Sir, you need to calm down—“

“Like hell I am, I don’t know you, don’t touch me!”

“Alright, back up back up back up, let’s give him some space.” Marco pushed past the crowd and gently shooed the nurses away from the bed.

The man stopped struggling, but he was still breathing heavily as his gaze flicked rapidly around at all the people standing in front of him.

“Sir,” Marco leaned his face over so that the man was looking straight at him, instead of the staff surrounding the bed. “My name is Marco. I am the doctor who treated your injuries. You are in a hospital right now. Do you remember what happened?”

“A hospital? Why the fuck am I in a hospital? What’s going on?”

“You were injured,” Marco said, in the same slow, soothing voice. “Someone found you on the side of the road and brought you here.”

“What?! I—I—“ The man’s breathing started to quicken, and Marco immediately turned around and ordered, “Alright, everyone other than Eren and Mikasa, please leave for now. Give us some privacy.”

The curious staff who were whispering amongst themselves listened dutifully, and soon the wing was quiet other than the man’s harsh gasps of breath.

“Alright. Why don’t I walk you through what we know, and we go from there? If you have any questions at any time, tell us, and we’ll do our best to answer them.” Marco said encouragingly as Eren and Mikasa joined him on the side of the bed.

The man seemed to calm down at that and nodded hesitantly.

“As I said before, I am a doctor. I treated your injuries last night when you were brought in. Eren and Mikasa here,” Marco gestured at the two “found you injured and unconscious on the road about 30 minutes away from here.”

He paused, and waited for the man to absorb the information before continuing. “You had a head injury and a slight fracture on your leg,” Marco pointed at each area as he proceeded. “You also had a stab wound from a knife in your side, so you lost quite a bit of blood. However, we were able to replenish your blood and close the wound, so it will finish healing soon. You’ll just need to be careful when moving around.”

The man’s eyes were wide as he traced over the injuries, using his hand to pat his side, leg, and head in turn as though to confirm what Marco said.

Marco patiently waited for him to finish before asking, “Do you have any questions for us?”

“Where am I?” He demanded immediately.

“You’re at the Shiganshina Town Hospital.”

“What day is it?”

“It is October 21st.”

“Who—Who did this to me?”

Marco looked over at Eren and Mikasa before saying, “We don’t know. The police are currently investigating, but Eren and Mikasa did not see who attacked you when they found you.”

The man nodded slowly as he processed, eyes still narrowed and slightly glazed. When it looked like he was done for now, Marco inquired, “Can I ask you some questions? If you feel uncomfortable at any time, you can let me know and we can stop so you can some rest.”

“…Ok.”

“What’s your name?”

“…L—Levi.”

“What’s your last name?”

“It’s—It’s—“ Levi frowned, his eyes widening and moving left and right as though searching for the answer.

“That’s ok. Where are you from?”

“I—I don’t know.”

“How old are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where do you work?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you remember anything from the attack? Were you driving on the road?”

“I don’t know.”

“Were you traveling to Shiganshina?”

“I don’t know!” Levi shouted, clutching his head with his hands as he rocked back and forth. “I don’t remember anything!”

Marco quickly stopped and said, “Hey, hey, it’s ok. Why don’t you get some rest for now, and we’ll try again later? Sometimes temporary memory loss happens when there is head trauma. Don’t panic, ok?”

Levi continued grasping and pulling at his hair, and Marco whispered to Eren and Mikasa, “Can you two stay with him and talk to him? Just about anything—the weather, sports, whatever. Don’t let him get lost in his head. I’m going to go find Kruger to look over the scans with me and see what’s going on.”

They nodded, and Marco grabbed two chairs for them to sit in before leaving.

“Hi Levi. I’m Eren, and this is my sister Mikasa,” Eren greeted, his voice clear and calm.

Levi looked up, and his gaze flicked between the two of them, not saying anything.

“Ah! Well, we don’t really look alike do we?” Eren chuckled and Mikasa let out a rare smile. The siblings were attuned to Levi’s unstable confusion and hoped to help alleviate the turmoil in the raven-haired man.

“Eren’s parents adopted me when I was 10,” Mikasa explained. “I’m a year older than him. Eren is 23 and I’m 24. We live around 15 minutes away from the hospital.”

“We both graduated from college—Shiganshina College, which is also close by—a couple of years ago, and then we took over our mom’s store. Well, mostly Mikasa—she does all the work, really—but I help out and we do pretty good for ourselves.”

“Eren’s too impulsive to pick one job and stick with it.” Mikasa confided, ruffling his hair fondly, causing him to duck aside. “He always wants to explore new things, so he also does front desk work at the community center and helps our neighbor Hannes with the farm.”

“Psh, if I really worked at the store full-time you’d go crazy.”

“No, I’d just send you out and make you handle all the deliveries.”

“Wow, that’s just cruel.”

“Please, you’re so dramatic."

“Anyways,” Eren rolled his eyes at Mikasa. “I’ve lived in Shiganshina all of my life. It’s a wonderful town. Nothing fancy, but peaceful and homey and I really love it. You picked a great place to—uh— _shit_ —uh—no, no I meant—uh— _fuck_.” Eren’s face dropped as he stammered and Mikasa slapped his shoulder in exasperation.

“I’m sorry, my brother’s not known for his intelligence,” she apologized.

The tension in Levi’s body had slowly but surely seeped out as he listened to the siblings, and at Eren’s slip, he snorted. “I can tell.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I did _great_ in college—“

“Armin totally carried you—“

“We weren’t even in the same major, how did he carry me—“

“Can you honestly say you didn’t ask him for help every day?”

At that, Eren pouted, grumbling slightly. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He turned to look at Levi, gaze softening. “Armin’s our best friend. We grew up together. But he’s a hotshot working in the big city now, so we only see him over Skype.”

Levi hummed noncommittally as he looked over the two, scanning their faces and picking out the details of their features. Mikasa had pale skin and shiny, straight black hair, a small nose, and looked nothing like her brother, who was tan and had fluffy brown locks and impossibly green eyes that were currently sparkling with excitement as he spoke.

Time passed quickly as Eren continued talking, Mikasa occasionally chiming in, but it was the sound of Eren that noticeably rang through the room as he chatted—about nothing in particular, really, everything from the new community center classes to the crops that Hannes grew on the farm and the television shows he liked to watch, but it was oddly soothing, and Levi’s eyes gradually started to close as he became sleepier and sleepier.

Before the darkness washed over him, Levi couldn’t help but think that the brat had a nice voice.

* * *

Eren returned the next day alone, as Mikasa had to work at the store. He brought some bread and chicken soup in a thermos, figuring that it had to taste better than the limp salads the hospital prepared. When he wandered into the patient wing, he saw that Levi was awake and had been staring out the window before snapping his head to look at Eren when he walked in.

“Hey, are you feeling better?” Eren asked, settling into the chair that was still situated next to the bed.

“Yeah,” Levi said, rubbing his side unconsciously. “It’s a pain in the ass to move around though. And there’s nothing to do here.”

Eren chuckled. “Yeah, well, I brought some lunch.” He twisted open the thermos before pouring the liquid into a bowl he also packed, before handing it carefully to Levi along with a spoon and the bag of bread.

Levi hesitated as he looked down at the food. “Thanks.” He didn’t seem to know what to say, so began to eat careful spoonfuls accompanied by small pieces of the bread.

The way he ate was rather meticulous, each movement prim and proper, and as Eren observed the man in front of him he couldn’t help but conclude that he must have come from a rich family. Folks in Shiganshina weren’t slobs, of course, but he had never seen anyone else in the town eat so delicately.

He must have been staring rather rudely, because Levi paused to look at him, eyebrows raised, causing Eren’s face to heat up before he dived to grab the clothes he had left the night before.

“Ah, um, I brought some of my old clothes for you to wear for when you get out of the hospital,” Eren stuttered. “Figured you’d want something other than that hospital gown—not that there’s anything wrong with it,” he added hastily.

Levi downed the rest of the soup, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and set everything aside on the table next to him before uttering another, “Thanks.”

He said nothing more and Eren racked his brain to think of what to do to fill the increasingly awkward silence.

“Um, have you—uh—do you—“ He wanted to ask if Levi remembered anything, but realized too late that it might be a triggering topic and cursed himself inwardly. He should’ve just checked in with the hospital staff to see if there were any updates. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Before Eren could flounder any further, Levi thankfully spoke. “No. Still don’t remember anything.”

“Oh…” He scratched his head. “Well…have you thought about what you’re going to do after you get out of the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

“…Cool.” He wondered if this man was a lawyer. He seemed to have a habit of answering only what was asked, nothing more, nothing less, as though any further words posed a risk of incriminating him.

Eren coughed, before deciding to finally inquire, “And what exactly are you going to do after?”

“Don’t know.”

For someone who admitted he had no clue what his next steps were, Levi looked eerily calm and unconcerned.

Eren gaped at him and Levi gave a one-shoulder shrug as he studied his nails. “I’ll figure it out as it goes.”

“Well…if you want you can stay with me and Mikasa for now.”

It was Levi’s turn to stare incredulously at Eren now as he froze. “What?”

Eren had discussed this in depth with Mikasa last night as they tried to think about what would happen to Levi next. He had no memory, and therefore no way of contacting any friends or family to come get him. He likely had no money, and even if they lent him some to travel to nearby cities to look for familiar faces, there was no guarantee that that would work. The siblings concluded that the best thing they could do was help him get back on his feet, and let him stay with them during the transition.

“Armin—the friend I was telling you about yesterday—his room’s basically empty, so you can sleep there. We were thinking you could help us out at the store in exchange for the food and rent and stuff, plus any extra wages you’d earn. Once you save up enough, then…I guess you can decide what to do from there.”

Levi continued to gawk at Eren, and he scratched his hair self-consciously. “Usually we have Mylius, or me, to fill any empty shifts, but he just got a new job and the community center’s going to need me to do extra work with the holidays coming up, so you’d be doing us a favor, really,” he reassured the man.

“…You’re offering me a job? And to take me into your home? For an indefinite period of time?”

“Well, not _indefinite_ ,” Eren laughed. “I mean, I would hope you wouldn’t plan to just stay with us until you’re old and gray. But we don’t really know how long it’s going to take for you to find your family, so in the meantime we want to make sure you’re not dying on the street—er, again, you know?” He smiled earnestly at Levi.

“…Are you fucking stupid?!”

Eren’s grin faltered, taken aback, as Levi glared at him, eyes blazing. “What?!”

“I said, ‘are you _fucking_ stupid’?”

“I kno—I _heard_ that, asshole, what I’m asking is—what the fuck dude?” His temper flared.

“You don’t know me. You don’t have a goddamn clue who I am or what I’ve done in the past. And you’re just opening your doors and welcoming me in with no strings attached? What if I’m a fucking murderer, huh? Aren’t you scared I’m going to choke you and your beloved sister to death in your sleep?”

“But—you’re… _not_.” Mikasa and Eren had actually considered this last night as well. They weren’t foolish. But after analyzing all the information they had about Levi, they concluded that it was more likely that he was a victim of some robbery or kidnapping, given the state they found him in.

“How do you know?!” Levi’s voice had risen to a shout now. “How do you know that _I’m_ not the one who was trying to rob or kill someone, but failed? How do you know that I’m a good person?!”

He was breathing heavily, fists clenched tightly, teeth biting his lip so hard that he would soon draw blood, face twisted with emotion, and in that moment understanding washed over Eren.

Levi was afraid. He could remember nothing, knew nothing about the very things that collectively shaped his identity and understanding of himself. It wasn’t the lack of friends or family or a future that scared Levi. It was the lack of certainty that he wasn’t a monster, that he still had his humanity, that he was someone who was _worth_ something—worth being alive, worth saving, worth trusting, worth loving.

On instinct, Eren moved forward and pulled him into a tight hug, one hand coming up to press Levi’s head into the crook of his neck, the other wrapping around his back.

Levi stiffened at the sudden touch and struggled, but Eren refused to let go, rubbing comforting circles while his fingers scratched lightly at his surprisingly soft hair. As the seconds lengthened, he could feel the man slack as the fight ebbed out of him and he started shaking, breaths coming out in loud gasps as he struggled to regain his composure.

Eren could feel a few drops of tears fall onto his shoulder, staining his sweater, but he didn’t care.

“You’re right.” He felt Levi freeze in his embrace. “I don’t know any of those things about you. But what I do know is that I’m glad you’re alive. So is Mikasa. And Marco.”

Levi’s breathing began to even out as Eren continued. “What I also know is that a bad person wouldn’t be asking those questions. A bad person wouldn’t worry about the things you just said. So even though you don’t _know_ , you do, actually. Only a good person—a kind person—would be worried about hurting others.”

Eren pulled Levi up and looked him in the face, locking eyes with the man he now realized had uniquely silver-colored irises. “None of us can predict what’s going to happen next, but I do know that we can figure it out—together.”

Levi’s eyes were impossibly wide as they gazed into Eren’s, and Eren realized that they were close—really close. So close he could count the number of eyelashes— _long eyelashes_ , he thought distantly—and his cheeks reddened as he clumsily pushed himself back.

“Besides,” Eren said, clearing his throat when his voice come out slightly higher-pitched than usual, before speaking normally. “if you were a robber, you were clearly shitty at it. So, consider this a chance for an occupation change, or something.”

He heard Levi scoff, and turned to see Levi show a hint of a smile.

“You’re a shitty brat, you know.”

“I do, actually.” Eren fell into a bout of laughter and Levi continued to watch him, feeling the last of the tension dissipating from his body, the almost-smile etched on his face refusing to disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why Levi is a little out of character (expressing his emotions and thoughts in front of some person he just met), remember that he went through something traumatic and therefore is more volatile than he would normally be. Angsty part is mostly over, fluff (with a healthy sprinkle of drama) is coming up next!


	5. A New Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finds Shiganshina to be strange, but starts to settle into his new job and life. Meanwhile, the people back at Trost believe him to be dead.

Levi paused in the sandy walkway leading up to the front door, craning his head up to look at the house.

The residence was old and worn, but sturdy, though the paint on the porch was starting to peel off and some of the bricks were faded in color. The front yard was covered with slightly overgrown yellow-green grass that had random little signs and decorations scattered across it. The white picket fence that surrounded the property was quite short, and it was lined with a thick, wild layer of dandelions underneath.

Levi liked it. He liked the way it exemplified simplicity, the way everything was charmingly imperfect and full of warmth. It was a home, certainly. And Levi had a feeling it could become his home.

He followed Eren inside, wrapping his jacket more tightly when a gust of wind whipped against them before the door closed. He could feel a lump against his thigh, reminding him of the only thing he had from that mysterious night of the accident.

The doctors had cut off his shirt and pants during the surgery, so they were binned. Thankfully his jacket was fine, though Levi scrubbed it furiously in the bathroom sink to get some of the blood and mud out. When he had been looking it over, he felt a bulge on the inside pocket, and his eyes nearly bugged out when he opened it and saw that it was a huge wad of cash.

$10,000 exactly. Levi counted—three times.

Levi was grateful for not only the money—he had no credit card or bank account at the moment, after all, and having some savings provided a sense of security—but also the fact that this bundle served to further reinforce what Eren had insisted, that he wasn’t the thief and he was likely the one that was jumped and mugged.

Apparently that robber was shitty at his job.

He was led up the wooden stairs and into a room at the end of the hallway. Inside, there was a queen-sized bed and what looked like a set of freshly laundered navy-blue sheets and blankets, topped with cream-colored pillows. A small and empty desk and chair were pushed against the corner, underneath a large window that was partially covered by thin, white curtains. On the other side was an oak armoire, dresser, mirror, and coat rack. Finally, a bag of clothes that was halfway unzipped lay against the door.

Eren seemed nervous as he watched Levi look over the room. “I know it’s kind of small, and the carpet is stained in some parts—I may have accidentally spilled something once or five times, but—“

“It’s amazing,” Levi said firmly. “Thank you.”

He made eye contact with Eren to further emphasize his appreciation, and he saw the brunette visibly relax and smile. 

“Awesome. Well, these are just some shirts and pants from when I was in high school—I don’t know if the sizing is right, and I can take you into town to get some clothes that actually fit later, but for now hopefully they work.”

He led Levi out and into the bathroom across the hall. “There are extra sets of toothbrushes and towels and all that jazz in the cabinet, so you can just whatever you need. We’ll be sharing the bathroom, and I’ll keep all my stuff on the right side to make it easier.”

As they walked towards the stairs, Eren pointed at his room, which was next to Levi’s. “Mikasa sleeps downstairs, because back in the day she claimed Armin and I stayed up way too late and were noisy, but honestly I think it’s just because she’s too lazy to take the stairs every day.”

He laughed, but stopped quickly and turned to Levi. “Don’t tell her I said that, though,” he whispered.

Levi snorted. “What—are you scared of your sister?”

“Yes.” Eren nodded solemnly. “You should be too.”

Though Levi was doubtful, he stored that information in his brain for future reference. He was curious as to just why the brat was so scared of Mikasa, who seemed quiet and reserved but not particularly dangerous, but Levi was smart enough to not let appearances lull him into a false sense of security.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Levi ate meals with the siblings in the dining hall downstairs, listening to them chat idly while he enjoyed the well-cooked meals. The ingredients themselves added to the taste just as much as the cooking skills had; everything from the meat to the vegetables tasted incredibly fresh.

Mikasa showed Levi a chart she had drawn up with his shift schedule at the store and included her and Eren’s calendars so that they could carpool together when convenient. It seemed Mikasa was the one that would be doing all the driving, and though Eren claimed that he was also perfectly capable, the look Mikasa shot Levi told him that there was good reason for the current arrangement.

“You have to buy clothes and all that stuff when we go into town, so for now Eren and I can take care of it and just keep a tally for later, if that makes you more comfortable,” Mikasa said.

“There’s no need for that,” Levi cut in. “I have enough to pay for myself.”

Mikasa and Eren exchanged a confused look, but Levi plowed on. “Utilities, food, rent, gas—include it all too. And chores—give me a list of what I should do. I’m not going to be any more of a freeloader. You’ve both shown me more than enough hospitality as it is.” 

Eren opened his mouth as though to argue, but Mikasa lay her hand on top of his and said, “You’re not a freeloader, Levi. There’s nothing wrong with accepting a helping hand. But we want to make you feel welcome, and if this is what it takes, then so be it.”

“Speak up, though, if there’s something wrong. We’re here for you,” Eren added.

As the siblings smiled at him from across the table, Levi felt an unfamiliar warmth flood through his chest as he wondered, not for the first time, just how much more the two could surprise him with their kindness.

Somehow, Levi knew that wherever he came from, he had never experienced something like this before.

* * *

The white and sterile room felt cold and unyielding as Kuchel stood there, her heart pounding so loudly it was a wonder that it didn’t burst out of her chest.

Just 12 hours after Levi had stormed out of their home, a pair of somber-faced policeman appeared at their door and asked them to come to the morgue to identify the body.

There was a car accident, they said. Just a few hours outside of Trost. A truck had slammed into a sedan at the curve of a hill and both vehicles flipped over the edge and erupted in fire.

The license plate was registered to a vehicle under Levi Ackerman’s name. The same black BMW that was currently missing from their garage. It was likely Levi Ackerman, they said. But they couldn’t be sure, because the body was burned too badly.

So now, Kuchel was here. To confirm that the charred remains indeed belonged to her one and only son.

Kenny squeezed her hand, but Kuchel couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t feel anything, convinced that this had to be a nightmare, that the world couldn’t so cruel as to snatch away her precious child when she had finally been reunited with him after so many long years of separation.

But when she was led towards the stretcher and the white cloth was uncovered, she screamed. The inhuman sound that clawed its way out of her throat was painful, and thatbrought her to her senses as the world came crashing down on her.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the mangled and black body in front of her, burnt to a crisp, features truly not discernible other than the vague shape of a human.

It could’ve been easy, then, to deny that the corpse was really her son. After all, it could be anybody.

But the noticeably short stature, the slight frame, and most of all…

The melted golden watch on his right wrist. The first and only recognition Levi had received from the Ackermans, a one-of-a-kind family heirloom given to him directly from his grandfather that Levi had never gone a day without wearing.

“Gather the board, and make sure not a word of this gets out. Not until we figure out how to present this to the public,” she heard Kenny order to his assistant, one of the many suits that were always following them around.

_Of course_ , Kuchel thought distantly, as she hesitantly touched the watch, fingers trembling violently, tears pouring down her cheeks.

The company comes first, after all.

* * *

Levi seethed as he smothered himself with the pillow, burrowing into it even further to block out the godforsaken noise that woken him up at the ass-crack of dawn.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” He heard someone yell, the voice coming in simultaneously through the thin walls and the crack of his window.

The rooster crowed even louder, and Levi leapt out of his bed and threw open his window all the way to find the source of the racket and saw…Mikasa.

She was standing beneath them on the front lawn, holding the large and feathery chicken up as though presenting a gift.

“It’s time to wake up,” she said, her face blank and almost bored as Eren continued to scream bloody murder from the window a few feet away from Levi.

He had a seriously awful case of bedhead, his pajamas were rumpled, and his currently murderous expression was a stark contrast to the nice and earnest smiles Levi had become accustomed to seeing from the boy who had so kindly welcomed him into his home.

This Eren looked like he was ready to jump out the window and rip apart the poor bird clutched in his sister’s grip with nothing more than his bare hands.

Instead, he slammed his window shut, though that didn’t entirely mask the string of profanity-filled curses that Levi, and from the looks of it, Mikasa, could hear him spew out from inside his room.

Mikasa turned to make eye contact with Levi and said, “My brother’s not really a morning person.”

_No shit, Sherlock_ , Levi thought as he trudged towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

Eren had recovered by the time they were seated in the old pickup truck and backing out of the driveway, though he still seemed to be dozing off as his face pressed against the glass.

“So, Levi,” Mikasa said as she made a right turn onto the main road. “How do you feel?”

“Fine.” Levi was used to the duo checking in with him every hour of the day about his wounds, almost smothering him with concern. The fracture had already healed to the point that he didn’t need crutches, and they had waited until his stitches were removed before taking him home from the hospital. Other than some tenderness and stiffness, Levi felt fully functional again.

Aside from the fact he knew nothing about himself, save for his first name, but that was a problem for another day.

Mikasa didn’t say anything more, accepting his terse response, and he was grateful. She and Levi got along quite well, as they shared a mutual preference for peace and quiet and speaking only when necessary. They were the complete opposite of Eren, who loved to fill up empty space with random chatter and had too much energy to be contained even in his 6’ frame.

His current silence was truly rare, and Levi found it rather refreshing.

They arrived at the store soon, and Mikasa dropped them off before parking behind the building. It was an old-fashioned wooden building that was painted red with a white border. There were two window panels on either side of the door, and a large sign that said “Shiganshina General Store” was bolted to the roof.

Eren unlocked the door before pushing it open, and Levi followed him inside. It looked like what he expected for a general purpose store. The walls were lined with shelves and barrels, which held everything from candies to pans and shampoos. There were a couple of fridges and freezers in the back, and the middle aisles alternated between table displays, food racks, and stacked item sacks such as flour and sugar.

“Welcome to your new home away from home!” Eren declared, gesturing dramatically at the store. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

Levi supposed there was a certain beauty to the quaint little business. There were too many items for it to look clean, even though everything was stacked and placed orderly, and the mish-mash of colors and shapes made the whole experience inside feel very busy. But all in all, it was homely, and Levi could imagine children gawking at the candies in excitement while adults picked up some needed items after work.

Eren accepted Levi’s nod and beamed, before gesturing for Levi to walk over the backroom together.

“You’ll probably be spending a lot of time here doing inventory, restocking, putting orders together, and all that. Our cleaning supplies are also over there in the corner,” he pointed to a bundle of mops and brooms leaned against the wall. “Mikasa knows everyone and what they usually buy, so it’s easier for her to handle the register.”

Privately, Levi thought that this was the best arrangement. He disliked talking to people, so being able to spend the day doing work on his own sounded incredibly ideal.

They heard Mikasa call for them from the back door and headed over to where she was standing over a huge pile of boxes.

“Shipments come in every Monday, and it takes a few hours to sort through, which is why we had to wake up so early today,” she explained to Levi. “Luckily for the rest of the week we don’t have to get in until 9, and 11 if it’s a Saturday.”

The next few hours passed by quickly as they methodically broke down the boxes, counted the items, and organized the inventory in the backroom, the quiet only interrupted when Eren offered some tidbit or other to Levi as he started to learn the ropes.

At 10, the store officially opened, and half an hour later Eren waved goodbye as he headed off to walk towards the community center for his shift, leaving Mikasa and Levi in companionable silence as he took out the cleaning supplies to mop the floors and she checked through the invoices and occasionally answered the phone to jot down an order.

He watched Mikasa interact with the customers who periodically came in to purchase stuff. Despite the Asian woman’s generally expressionless face, the way she spoke to the shoppers was rather amiable, and she was patient even when people changed their minds at the register or asked a few too many questions.

The customers themselves were varied, from old grandmas to sweaty construction workers and young students. However, they were all friendly, and everyone seemed to know one another. It wasn’t surprising to hear them ask about Eren or chat about so-and-so’s upcoming birthday as they handed Mikasa the money for their goods.

Levi had just come out of the backroom after putting away the broom when the bell jingled and Marco stepped in, waving to Levi when he saw the raven-haired man. He gave an awkward head jerk back, to which Marco chuckled.

“I just wanted to stop by on the way to the hospital to see how you were doing,” he said as he closed the door and walked inside.

“Fine,” Levi replied.

“Any trouble with pain or soreness?”

“Not really.”

“Dizziness or nausea?”

“No.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear,” Marco patted Levi on the shoulder. “Let me know if anything comes up or if you have any questions. I’m sure Mikasa or Eren can give you my number.”

“Thanks,” Levi muttered, scratching the counter absently. Marco engaged Mikasa in some idle chatter, bringing out a rare smile from her, before bidding them goodbye and leaving.

Shiganshina was a strange town, Levi thought to himself. Now he realized that it wasn’t just Eren and Mikasa who were almost ridiculously kind. What kind of a doctor goes out of their way to visit a patient—without pay—despite a busy schedule, just to check in and see how they were doing? 

Levi may not remember anything about his past, but somehow he was sure that doctors weren’t supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be haughty and clinical, offering only the bare minimum unless an envelope with money was shoved discretely in their pockets.

Shiganshina was strange, but Levi found himself wondering more and more what it would be like to call this place his home.


	6. Unexpected Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving arrives, and Levi comes to learn more about Eren and Mikasa. A guy's night out ends in a sudden brawl and reveals unexpected truths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, feels, humor, and drama all in one! So much development happens in this chapter.

The days blurred into weeks, and soon Levi settled into his life in Shiganshina. Every morning, he would wake up, eat breakfast, and head off to the store with Mikasa to work. Sometimes Eren joined them, other times he would instead walk to their neighbor Hannes’s farm to help with plowing the fields or picking fruits.

When it started to snow, however, there was less to do there, so Eren began to spend more of his days at the store, though he was often off on deliveries. With the colder weather, some of their regular customers found it difficult to make their way to the premises, so he would drop off their orders at their homes.

Though it came with an extra cost, Levi knew that they weren’t making any additional money from the deliveries, and that the siblings just provided it as a service for the old grandmas who needed staple goods or the families that lived out of the way. It was just one of the many things they did that initially puzzled Levi, but he gradually understood.

He was surprised the first time he saw Eren get into the driver’s seat and head off with the truck, remembering Mikasa’s doubt about his capabilities. The same thought must have struck Mikasa, because she subsequently told him, “There’s basically no one on the road during the winter, and everyone drives really slowly. Plus, Eren knows the town like the back of his hand.”

She didn’t say any more, didn’t explain why Eren needed these restrictions in order to take the wheel, but Levi didn’t ask. They would share when they were ready, and Levi would listen when the time came.

He also began to learn more about the two as he was slowly absorbed into their quasi-family. Eren was truly not a morning person, and even when they didn’t have to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn on Mondays, Levi was often tasked with getting the brunette out of his bed, kicking and dragging. Luckily, Levi had fast reflexes, and he also wasn’t one to take that shit, which Eren had to experience firsthand when he accidentally struck Levi once. He ended up soaked head to toe in ice-cold water, spluttering with indignation.

Like the yin to Eren’s yang, Mikasa was not a night person. She slept downstairs for good reason, and though the sound didn’t travel far when the doors were closed, Eren had a habit of forgetting to do so when listening to music late at night. He also liked to run over to Levi’s room to show him whatever funny Youtube video or Facebook meme he had come upon that he just _had_ to see right then and there. Levi tolerated it, not because he was actually interested in Keith from the Try Guys eating everything from the Taco Bell menu, but because he could look at the countless expressions Eren went through as he laughed in delight. The brat’s face held nothing back, and Levi could always tell just what he was thinking or feeling from the quirk of his mouth to the glint in his iridescent eyes.

Mikasa apparently did not share this fascination—when she deemed the noise to be unacceptable, she would appear in their doorway, a dark glare on her face as she held out a hammer threateningly. Eren would then immediately slam his laptop shut, hug it against his chest, and jump behind Levi to use his body as a shield while Mikasa ran forward to try to get a hit in despite Eren’s shrieks of apologies.

Of course, Mikasa would never actually harm Eren, but she apparently had no qualms about destroying his property.

The rose-tinted lens through which Levi initially regarded the two also faded, as he was introduced to their less admirable traits.

Mikasa was protective of Eren, almost to a fault, and she was undeterred by his snappish responses even when it was wiser to let him be. She had a tendency to drill him on topics until they either reached a satisfactory ending or broke out into an argument, in which case Levi would sometimes step in to calm them down.

He had to do this because Eren, despite his kindhearted and generous nature, had a shockingly explosive temper. His fuse was easily lit, and a natural consequence of him wearing his heart on his sleeve was that he could not hide or diminish his anger. This, coupled with his headstrong personality and tendency to act first, think later, meant that he often got into trouble.

Between the two of them, it was truly a wonder that they handled Levi’s precarious situation with such grace and understanding.

Of course, Levi himself wasn’t Mr. Perfect. His reticence and terse responses made it hard for Eren to connect with him, and though at first Eren accepted this and made up for it with extra zeal on his end, on more than one occasion Levi could see the disappointment and hurt on his face when Levi didn’t showcase the same interest in a conversation or subject as he did.

This would annoy Levi to no end, because _goddamn it_ the brat looked just like a kicked puppy and that made Levi feel guilty for being so socially inept, something he just couldn’t seem to change about himself. He was already indebted to the siblings, and this only further exacerbated the feeling of overall shittiness he had about the situation.

His penchant for cleanliness also made them butt heads on more than one occasion, as Levi couldn’t stand the mess that the brunette left in his wake and Eren was already frustrated enough with the nagging he received from Mikasa.

In the end, Levi would just take it upon himself to scrub the area in question, causing Eren to sigh and grumble in exasperation as he joined shortly after. Much as he hated cleaning, he couldn’t let other people deal with the messes he created.

Under Levi’s watchful tutelage, the shitty brat learned that _clean_ didn’t mean _not a health hazard_ but rather _you can eat off of this surface and not get sick_. Thanks to Levi’s strict standards, both the house and the store were brought to a beautiful shine that made him glow with pride.

Thanksgiving soon dawned upon them, and the three of them spent the day in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, peeling potatoes, whisking eggs, while jazz music played in the background and Eren sang along, swaying slightly as he stirred the soup. He wasn’t a bad singer—he actually had a rather rich baritone and was largely on key—but like most things in his life Eren didn’t take it seriously, and instead opted to belt out silly renditions in a shrilly and completely over-the-top voice, causing Mikasa and Levi to exchange amused glances.

Their neighbor Hannes, who Levi had met briefly on several occasions but never talked to directly, would be joining them, as he never got around to starting a family of his own but considered Mikasa and Eren to be effectively the same.

The blonde man arrived with the cooked turkey that filled the air with a tantalizing smell, and this sped up their preparations considerably as everyone hastily finished up the rest of the dishes so they could eat.

Hearing the easy banter and laughs and feeling the warmth of his belly as he ate his fill, Levi was once again reminded of the empty memories that had yet to return. On occasion, when he concentrated and strained his mind to try and recall where the hell he came from, he could only grasp a sense of loneliness and resentment. The juxtaposition of that murky negativity and the comforting acceptance that he received from everyone in Shiganshina alleviated any possible desperation to recover his old life and instead made him all the more grateful to be here.

They were finishing up dessert when Hannes’s slightly drunken chuckle slipped as he said, “Truly a shame that Carla never got to see the two of you now. She would be so proud.”

At this, Mikasa and Eren both stiffened. Eren’s jaw was clenched as he glared down at his plate, and Mikasa had a wistful smile.

“Their mom, Carla,” Hannes continued, looking over at Levi. “Loveliest woman you’d ever meet.”

He hiccuped as he reached out to pour himself more wine and Levi dreaded what was coming next.

“Bastard t-boned her and left her to die. Alone. Just on the side of the road not too far from here.” Hannes downed his glass, grimacing as the liquid burned his throat.

“She could’ve lived, too, you know. Hospital was close enough and they could have stitched her up. But the fucker didn’t bother calling the cops or ambulance. Just ran away.” A tear trailed down Hannes’s face, and he sniffled loudly.

The silence was heavy as they all became lost in their thoughts. As Levi pondered this new information, everything seemed to click in place. Why Eren didn’t like to drive. Why Eren and Mikasa didn’t hesitate to scoop him up and get him to the hospital. Why they continued to visit and cared about his recovery. Why they were determined to open up their homes and hearts to him, regardless of the fact that he was a mere stranger.

Levi received a gift that their mother was never given. And as this realization hit him, Levi silently promised that he would cherish it and dedicate the rest of his life to paying them back.

* * *

The heavy December snow slowed foot traffic down substantially, so Levi accompanied Eren on the deliveries now, occasionally doing them solo if they happened to be nearby and Eren had work to do at the community center. He had become familiar enough with the roads—well road, because there was only one main street that everyone had to use to get anywhere in the town. The police only stopped people if they were driving poorly, and even then let them off with a warning unless they were noticeably drunk, so apparently Levi’s lack of a driver’s license wasn’t a problem.

It was a particularly cold day that had Eren’s teeth chattering as he got back in the car after dropping off the last package. “You know what? I think we deserve a treat.”

“Didn’t you just eat a whole pie by yourself yesterday?”

“ _Excuse_ you, that was barely more than half, and it was going to go bad if someone didn’t eat it.”

“Uh huh.”

Levi caught Eren muttering what sounded like _judgmental bastard_ under his breath before the brunette continued. “I was _saying_ , I think we deserve to celebrate. Let’s go out for beers tonight—Dauper Drinks has a happy hour today, and I’m sure Mikasa wouldn’t mind us closing up early.”

“Sure, why not?” There wasn’t much to do in Shiganshina, anyways, and Levi could use a drink.

Eren pumped his fist up in victory and shouted, “Yes!” before turning to Levi with a sheepish grin.

“Could you ask Mikasa though? She won’t do it if I ask.”

“…Goddamn it, you’re such a shitty brat.”

* * *

There was a surprising number of people at Dauper Drinks considering the snow, and they had to wait a few minutes before they were squished into the corner at the bar.

“What can I get you?” A man with a heavy black mustache asked when they were seated.

Levi shrugged when Eren looked at him, so he said, “Surprise us, Carsten.”

The man chuckled. “You got it, Jaeger.”

He brought them a pitcher of beer and poured two glasses, and Levi sipped his appreciatively. He didn’t usually care for the taste, but this one had a hearty flavor that he rather enjoyed.

“Why didn’t Mikasa come?” He asked. Sure enough, he was the one to broach the topic about closing early, and she merely cast Eren, who was standing in the corner, whistling and trying to look nonchalant, an unimpressed and slightly exasperated look before sighing and agreeing. She dropped them off and promised to pick them up in a couple of hours.

Eren snorted, spilling some of his beer, before whispering conspiratorially, “She gets the uh—Asian glow” before dissolving into snickers, causing Levi to let out his own puff of amusement.

The conversation flowed much easier as the alcohol quickly disappeared, Carsten the bartender coming back to replenish them with different drinks each time, from whiskeys to rum and long island iced tea.

By the time they had finished their fourth round, even Levi was smiling, to which Eren shouted, “HA! I knew it! You do smile!” before fumbling to grab his phone. “Gotta take picture to commeno…commema…comme..celebrate.”

He almost dropped it, but Carsten, who was walking by, expertly scooped it up and said, “I’m going to have to cut you off here, Jaeger.”

Eren gasped in horror. “Noooooo whyyyyyyy,” he whined.

“You’re a mess, brat,” Levi was shaking his head in mirth. For someone who was just making fun of his sister for Asian glow, Eren’s cheeks were a fiery red.

“But—“ Carsten held up the device, “I’ll help you guys take a picture, at least.”

Eren beamed up at him, apparently already forgetting to be upset, and didn’t hesitate before slinging his arm over Levi’s shoulder and pulling them close, squishing their cheeks together.

For someone who was drunk off their ass, Eren was also surprisingly strong.

Levi was still looking at Eren’s face, staring at the shimmery, gemstone-like eyes, when the flash went off and Carsten handed it back to Eren, who gawked at the photo and showed it to Levi. “Isn’t this so sweet?”

“The lighting is awful, brat, and the angle is completely horrendous.”

Eren jutted his lip out in an adorable pout and his eyes started to water. “You don’t like it?”

“Fine, fine, it’s fine, ok? It’s a goddamn masterpiece. No need to cry about it.”

He immediately lit up in a dazzling smile. “You’re a masterpiece, Levi.”

Levi choked on his last sip, spluttering and coughing as the liquid went down the wrong pipe.

“Ohmygod noooo, don’t die Levi!” Eren started slapping his hand on Levi’s back, continuing even when the man stopped coughing, necessitating him to grab the brunette’s wrist.

“Are you still dying, Levi?” Eren asked, eyes wide with concern.

_Jesus Christ._ He didn’t seem to be the least bit embarrassed about the words he said that led to Levi coughing his lungs out, and instead was looking _so fucking earnestly_ at the raven-haired man. “I’m fine. Not dying.”

Except, no, that was a lie. He was dying. Dying on the inside because he had a huge fucking crush on the goddamn green-eyed brat.

Before he could do something embarrassing, like confess his undying love, Eren burst out, “I’m so glad, Levi! I would hate for you to miss Christmas.”

Levi didn’t know where the fuck that came from, but took advantage of the change in topic. “What’s so special about Christmas?”

Eren gaped at him. “Christmas! It’s the most magical time of the year!”

“There’s nothing magical about being forced to spend hundreds of dollars on gifts that wind up unused or thrown out anyways.”

“Noooooo you’re thinking about birthdays, not Christmas.”

“It’s the same thing for me, brat. My birthday is on Christmas.”

The sound of the rowdy bar seemed to fade in the background as the two of them froze in mutual shock.

“Your…your birthday is on Christmas?” Eren’s brows were furrowed in concentration, and the drunkenness seemed to seep out of him at the revelation.

Levi was stupefied, clutching his head with one hand as he took shaky breaths. “I—I think so.” Blurry, unclear images raced through his mind—a shoddy Christmas tree in a dingy little apartment, a familiar hand caressing his hair as he blew out candles.

They disappeared as fast as they came and Levi slammed his fist into the table, cursing.

He felt a hand shaking his shoulder. “Hey, hey, look at me.” Eren used his other hand to tilt his face towards him.

“Remember what I said, Levi? At the hospital?”

_Levi was pulled up, and he stared at the person who had the brightest green eyes he had ever seen in his life. “None of us can predict what’s going to happen next, but I do know that we can figure it out—together.” The boy sounded so heartfelt, and his face lit with a passion that made Levi truly believe in every single word he had just uttered._

“We’ll figure it out—together.” Eren looked every bit as sincere now as he had back then, and Levi felt his heart stutter. 

The seconds stretched out as time seemed to stop, and he leaned in, unconsciously, as Eren’s face got closer, closer, the full and soft lips in view also inching forward to close the distance, and—

“SCORE!!!!!!” The table behind them erupted in whoops as whatever team they were watching on the TV won the game, breaking the spell and causing both of them to flinch back.

“I’m going to go pay,” Levi said, too loudly, as he shot up clumsily and avoided looking at Eren, walking out to the front of the tavern to the cashier.

He heard Eren’s heavy footsteps behind him, but the brunette didn’t say anything as he watched Levi settle the bill and they walked out the door and into the snow in silence.

“Mikasa should be here soon,” Eren commented, voice slightly unsteady. Levi risked a look up and saw that, other than a noticeable pink flush on his cheeks, he was otherwise unaffected.

They stood there quietly, neither brave enough to break the tentative lull.

The bells jingled as a group existed the bar—the same rowdy men that had interrupted their almost-kiss.

Eren and Levi shifted to the side to let them pass when suddenly one of the men shouted, “Hey, isn’t that Jaeger?!”

That triggered the rest of the group to all turn their attention towards pair. “It is,” another confirmed.

The first man stepped closer towards them, his face twisted in a sneer. “If it isn’t the resident f*ggot of Shiganshina.”

His goons roared in laughter, and Levi grabbed Eren’s wrist when he saw that his fists were clenched. “Let’s go,” he muttered, tugging him insistently, and Eren reluctantly turned, shoulders stiffened with anger, and followed him.

“Woah, woah, where ya going?” They stepped forward quickly, and to Levi’s dismay the group had crowded around them.

They were surrounded.

“Who’s this? Your new _boyfriend?_ ” A red-haired man jeered.

“Short, ain’t he?”

“Never seen ‘im before.”

“Naw, wait—isn’t that the guy who lost his memory or sumthin’? Heard some folks at the market talking about him.”

“No way, dude. Come on, Jaeger, are you really that desperate?”

“Couldn’t turn anyone else gay so you had to kidnap one, huh? You sick fuck.”

Eren shoved the asshole forward, causing him to trip into his friends. “Get the fuck away from me,” he growled.

“Come on, now, we’re just talking! That’s uncalled for.”

“They don’t call him the ‘Suicidal Bastard of Shiganshina’ for nothing.”

“More like ‘Suicidal F*ggot’, amirite?”

Eren snapped, and Levi watched in horror as he launched himself at the man who had just uttered the slur and began punching him savagely, prompting the rest of the group to jump in.

Levi cursed as Eren disappeared under the pile of limbs. Though Eren had mostly sobered up, he was still drunk, and there were at least seven or eight men.

Luckily, none of them had been paying attention to Levi, so he was able to pull a couple of them back one by one, disposing of them with well-aimed kicks to the balls and elbows to the necks. He reacted on instinct, the coordination of punches and blocks flowing naturally, and soon there was only one man left, the man that had hurled the unspeakable slur at Eren, that the brunette was currently sitting on and slamming his fists into.

Levi pulled Eren back, though the brunette struggled against his hold, still kicking out and trying to land a few more strikes in.

_Shit_. The man’s face was unrecognizable, all bruised and swollen and puffy, blood staining the snow on the ground next to him red.

“Eren!” He heard the sound of an engine shutting off, and Mikasa jumped off the car and ran over to them. “Eren, what happened?”

Her brother was still glaring at the mess of the person on the ground, his eyes smoldering with rage, so Levi answered, “Just some homophobic assholes. We took care of them.”

He dragged the brunette over to the truck as Mikasa opened the door and helped them on before getting into the front and driving them home.

Eren still refused to speak, choosing to glower at the outside as Mikasa glanced at him through the rearview window. “It was Marcel, wasn’t it?”

He jerked his head and clenched his jaw even more tightly, but didn’t say anything.

“Who’s Marcel?” Levi asked.

“A despicable human being,” he could hear the fury in Mikasa’s voice. “He was supposedly Eren’s friend in high school, but then intentionally got close to him, pretending to be _interested_. Then…he outed him to the whole school—the whole town, really.”

“That bastard!”

“Truly,” Mikasa nodded. “It was awful. I know you haven’t been here long, but Shiganshina is…a pretty conservative place. Eren lost his athletic scholarship, people were picking fights with him every day, and there were even some trying to get him expelled. If it wasn’t for Grisha—“

“Mikasa!” Eren silenced his sister with a look, and she stopped talking.

Levi mulled in silence as he tried to reconcile these events with the Shiganshina he had come to appreciate. It was hard to imagine the old ladies who gratefully thanked Eren when he dropped off packages and the customers asking how Eren was doing when they chatted with Mikasa at the store vilifying him just because of who he loved.

“Has Shiganshina…changed?”

Mikasa seemed to catch on to the question he was struggling to frame. “Quite a bit. Mostly because there was a huge scandal with the pastor and the mayor’s wife, and they ran out of town. The church basically dissolved, and that was the main group that was really targeting Eren. The federal court cases and legislative changes definitely helped, too, and more and more of the students are choosing to study abroad and travel, which opens their minds, and they bring that back with them when they come home.”

Still, as Levi discreetly analyzed Eren’s bloodied knuckles, bruised cheeks, and split lip, a boiling outrage simmered in his gut.

Eren deserved better. Next time someone dared to raise a hand against him, Levi would gladly put them down, come hell or high water.


	7. A Very Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Mikasa make every effort to ensure that Levi's first Christmas (and birthday) in Shiganshina is memorable and fun. Cue lots of fluff and feels!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly cracked myself up so much when writing this chapter and I hope you all find it funny (and cute) too :)

Levi was seriously reconsidering his secret vow to protect the brat as he listened to his spritely rendition of _All I Want For Christmas is You_ for the hundredth. Fucking. Time.

The house had been filled with a ridiculous amount of holiday decorations. There was everything, from Christmas wreaths on the door to red-and-white stockings over the fireplace, a large gingerbread house Eren forced him to build with him on the kitchen table, and an absurdly large tree that was leaning heavily to one side due to the weight of all the ornaments that Eren had also forced Levi to hang up with him.

_But Levi~~~ it’s not really Christmas without a Christmas tree! We_ have _to get one._

_But Levi~~~it’s not really a Christmas tree without ornaments. We_ have _to get them._

_But Levi~~~it’s not really a Christmas ornament if we just buy it. We_ have _to decorate them together._

If he had to hear one more goddamn _But Levi~~~_ from the shitty brat, he was going to either kill him or himself. Or both. He didn’t care.

Now, he was being forced to go ice skating. Eren had borrowed an extra pair of shoes from the community center— _from the middle school class,_ he whispered to Levi, provoking the raven-haired man into pulling his ear so hard Mikasa had to break them up after hearing his pained wails.

He discovered one very important, very crucial detail from his past: he was not an ice skater, nor any athlete that had anything remotely to do with the ice.

Levi cussed as he fell on his ass once again. At this rate, his butt cheeks were going to be purple and blue from all the bruises.

Meanwhile, a certain brat was currently zooming around the ice, his arms raised gracefully in the air like a ballerina as he sang:

“ _I don’t want a lot for Christmas_

_There is just one thing I need—“_

“Don’t want a lot, my ass,” Levi grumbled darkly, scowling at the cursed boy that he wanted to throttle.

“ _Don’t care about the presents_

_Underneath the Christmas tree—“_

Levi was very tempted to not only burn the present he had prepared, but also rip the Christmas tree to shreds using the chainsaw they recently stocked at the store.

_“I just want you for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come truuuuuuUUUUEEEEEEE”_

“He better not. He better fucking not—“

“ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOUUUUUUUUU— _ACK!_ ”

Levi pounced on the boy when he glided past, bringing them both crashing down onto the hard surface.

“Ow,” Eren whined pitifully, his voice muffled as his face pressed against the ice.

“Stop. Singing. That. Fucking. Song,” Levi growled as he pulled the brunette’s face up by his hair.

Eren’s nose was red and his eyes were watering as he said:

“But Levi~~~”

Mikasa flew across the frozen lake on her skates when she heard the ungodly shrieks and cries and caterwauls and stomped her foot in frustration before zipping closer to break them apart.

“I leave for _one goddamn minute_ —“

* * *

They reconciled by the time they got off the car and joined the rest of the crowd in the town square for the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

Well, it was mostly because of Levi’s scarily murderous glare that Eren finally conceded and promised to cease his singing. He wouldn’t stop muttering under his breath, though, until he got a glimpse of the huge tree from the car window and leapt up in excitement like a kid at the candy store, forgetting all about his loyalty to Mariah Carey in the process.

Even Levi had to admit that it was nice, as they maneuvered their way closer to the center. There were countless ornaments and bulbs and gold tinsel draped in tasteful loops.

Somehow, they made it all the way to the front corner, just before the taped off area. Levi started in surprise when he felt Eren grab his wrist and drag him past the huge constructed boxes designed to look like presents before stopping behind the stage assembled next to the tree.

“What’s going on?” Levi could still see the tree from here—actually, it was an even better view, because the stage wasn’t blocking it, and they were hidden from the crowd.

Mikasa exchanged secretive a look with Eren before he finally said, “Your birthday present!”

“…What?”

Eren bounced up and down on the balls of his feet animatedly. “Traditionally, the mayor does the lighting, everyone claps, yada yada yada, they all leave. But he’s done it every year and it’s really not a big deal to him, right? So we asked around and got them to let us— _you_ —press the button that _actually_ turns on the lights while the mayor _pretends_ to be the one that’s doing it!”

Levi stared at the siblings, at a loss for words. He could hear the crowd in front of the stage, remembered just how many people—the whole town, basically—were standing there.

It was odd. A really weird idea, that was completely unexpected yet entirely characteristic of Eren. And Mikasa, he supposed, but he was certain that only Eren could come up with something like this.

A peculiar warmth flooded through Levi as he realized the lengths these two went to to plan and execute this. They must’ve started immediately after Levi shared that sudden memory at the bar just a couple of weeks ago.

He felt special. In this entire town of Shiganshina—small as it was, there were still quite a few people—it would be him, a nobody, a person that didn’t even come from here that would be given the reins in this celebration, however modest.

His mouth curved up in a genuine half-smile, and it almost turned into a full smile when he saw Eren’s eyes grow comically wide in astonishment.

Instead of saying something sappy or sentimental, however—because Levi was shit at expressing his feelings—he asked, “Did you really get approval for this?”

Eren scratched his head sheepishly as Mikasa shot him a fond glance. “Well, almost. The mayor doesn’t actually know his switch isn’t real—one of my buddies at the center is doing backstage crew today, and I got him to change the buttons—so you’re going to have to make sure not to fuck up the timing.”

Levi snorted in laughter. Of course. This was so typical of Eren, and Levi couldn’t get rid of his smirk as he said, “Alright, I think I can handle that.”

Even the boring speeches seemed to fly by as Levi waited in anticipation, his fingers slightly sweaty over the tiny black device in his hand. Eren squeezed his shoulder and whispered, “This is so exciting!” He turned upon hearing the unadulterated glee in his voice and he felt his heartbeat speed up as he took in the sheer jubilation etched on the beautiful brat’s face.

The mayor lifted his hand and declared, “And now…let there be light!” before pressing the button with a flourish.

The tree remained dark.

The crowd broke out into murmurs of confusion.

“Levi!” Eren and Mikasa hissed simultaneously in panic, before he jolted and realized he was so enamored with the precious expressions Eren was making that he completely fucked up the one thing he wasn’t supposed to fuck up.

“Oops,” he said, before quickly pressing down, and the tree lit up.

Everyone _oohed_ and _ahhed,_ seemingly moving past that flub as they stared up at the wondrous tree, shining so brightly that it almost hurt to look.

As Levi turned to peek at Eren, whose mouth was open in a delighted gasp, eyes glowing with awe and fascination, he privately thought that he had the best view of them all.

* * *

The Christmas dinner was every bit as delicious as Thanksgiving, if not more. They went all out, and there were so many dishes crowded on the table that the casserole and sweet potatoes were in serious danger of falling off.

Hannes had finally caved and planned a vacation for himself, so he was off in Hawaii, likely sipping on smoothies on the beach while they kept the windows tightly closed to prevent the heavy Shiganshina snow from coming in.

After they had all stuffed themselves silly—there was still so much left that they would likely be eating leftovers for the next week—Eren and Mikasa brought out a cake they ordered from the bakery that had the words “ _HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI_ ”, causing the raven-haired man to stutter in embarrassment.

The cake was delicious—Levi didn’t realize that mango mousse could taste so heavenly—and as he finished chewing his final bite, Eren declared, “It’s time for us to exchange presents!” before running over to grab his from underneath the tree.

Levi already had brought his to the table, so he waited until the brunette settled back in before putting his up on the surface.

“So, how do you want to do this?”

“Well,” Eren and Mikasa looked at each other, before she said, “If you don’t mind, Levi, we’d like to go first—we sort of combined ours together.”

At Levi’s nod, Eren beamed and he pushed a large folder that was wrapped in festive Santa-and-reindeer paper topped with a glittery ribbon towards him, and he carefully and meticulously opened it despite the brunette’s impatient tutting.

It looked like a…medical file? Levi narrowed his eyes in confusion as he scanned the dense papers, and words such as “Type A” and “allergies” popped out. “What is this?”

“It’s your medical history!”

“I see that…but why?”

This time, Mikasa answered. “The hospital had a sample of your blood from the surgery, so Eren came up with the idea to ask Marco to run a full blood test, so you can get…more information about your past, however little.”

“We know it isn’t much, but we figured it can be a start—plus, there was one key piece of the puzzle that it helped us discover!” Eren slid a small wrapped package he previously hid on his lap, and Levi automatically unwrapped it and pulled out…candles.

**_2_** and **_9_**

“What…?” Levi was lost.

“Apparently the test can also tell you your age. Congratulations, Levi, you’re 29 years old!”

“Twenty…nine,” Levi said distantly as he stared at the candles in his hand, eyes wide. He flicked up to see the siblings smiling at him encouragingly.

He didn’t know what to do with this information, didn’t know what to do with the seemingly unending kindness that the two people sitting in front of him had the capacity to show. They were younger than him—he’d always assumed, and now he knew for sure—but despite being alive for five and six fewer years, somehow they had acquired, mastered this ability to…to be thoughtful and care and love in ways Levi had never believed possible.

They weren’t rich, weren’t famous or accomplished or successful in the way society defined. They lived in a small and sleepy town and spent simple, honest days working at a store, on a farm, at the community center.

But Levi was truly blessed to be in the presence of these two—the duo that was possibly one of the greatest families in the world.

Despite his unforthcoming response, Eren and Mikasa seemed to understand what he couldn’t put into words. They merely placed the candles on the remains of the cake and lit them up, prompting Levi to blow them out as Eren snapped a picture. It was slightly blurry as the lens focused on the _29_ rather than Levi’s face, but it was a wonderful encapsulation of the memory, and Levi thought it couldn’t be more perfect.

“Ok, ok, your turn!” Eren announced as he sat back down.

Levi felt nervous now—after what the siblings had gifted him, he was starting to have doubts about his own present. “I—I also combined yours together.” He fumbled with the envelope awkwardly before shifting it forward.

Mikasa held it as Eren ripped the edge and pulled out the sheet of…stickers.

It was a logo. _Carla’s Flowers_

They gaped at the cursive text surrounded by a chic, minimalistic outline of a flower, the whole design coming together rather artistically, and Levi tried to explain. “Hannes told me that it was your mother’s dream to own a flower shop…and that you two have always wanted to fulfill that for her…”

He cleared his throat before proceeding. “He’s reducing the scope of his farm…so he can clear an area for you to plant the flowers. And he’ll include them in his deliveries to Trost, so financially it should be sustainable.”

When the two continued to ogle him, he mumbled, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time…I just put together a logo and some ideas for the business plan but if you don’t like it—“

Eren moved forward to grasp both of his hands and Levi flinched slightly in surprise. “We love it. This is amazing—it’s, it’s—you didn’t have to. Thank you.” His eyes looked watery, and Mikasa sniffed a little behind him.

Levi gave a shrug before stating simply, “It was no trouble.”

It really wasn’t.

* * *

There was a merry ambiance to the air as they cleaned up the table, stored the extra food in the fridge, and washed the dishes.

Mikasa turned in early, as usual, and waved a sleepy goodbye before trotting to her room and shutting the door.

Levi was handing the last pan to Eren to dry off when the brunette hesitantly said, “I actually have one more surprise for you.”

He turned, arching an eyebrow in question as Eren wiped the pan and stuffed it in the dishwasher. “It’s outside,” he muttered, and Levi followed him out the front entrance.

They were standing in the doorway, mostly protected by the roof, but it was still cold as balls. Levi shuffled back and forth to get warm, waiting impatiently for the brat to get going with whatever he wanted to do, but for some reason he was biting his lip and twiddling his fingers nervously.

“Oi!”

“Ok, ok, sorry, I—“ He broke off, before taking a deep breath, and looking him fully in the face.

“I…am not actually a Christmas freak…like all of this” he gestured at the generous amount of tinsel and holiday lights taped up to the front of the house “is all fine and good and stuff but we don’t usually do much more than just…a tree and some hot cocoa and a couple of presents.”

He paused, and Levi could tell that he was thinking hard about his next words.

“I know that not having your memories still bothers you—and of course it would—even though you don’t say anything. So when you suddenly told me that your birthday was on Christmas, I knew it had to be important—it is, it is important. And…I thought that maybe if I—Mikasa and I—went all out to let you experience every possible Christmas tradition, however cliche, that you might’ve done in the past, then maybe…maybe it’ll help you remember. Even if not today, but eventually.”

Levi was blindsided, once again, by the lengths they went to for—for _him._ A stranger. Maybe now a co-worker, friend, but at the core of it he was still a stranger, and they had absolutely no reason— _none_ —to go to the ends of the Earth to help him.

“It’s been hard, you know,” and Levi jolted slightly, as Eren grew more serious. “I can never tell what you’re thinking. You don’t say much. You have like _two_ expressions, total. Although, I think I’ve come to understand you more now, so that’s ok. But…I think—no, I _know_ —that I want to get to know you better. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember your past—I want to know _you._ Your favorite color, your favorite books, what makes you scared, what makes you happy…because—“

“Because you make me happy, Levi.” His voice was barely above a whisper now, and his cheeks were tinged pink, expression open and candid but vulnerable.

Levi’s heart thudded, thudded so hard his chest was going to burst open, but he couldn’t bring himself to care because he—he was also _happy_ , so happy, he didn’t think he’d ever felt this happy before, and Levi smiled— _actually fucking smiled_ , for once—before he surged forward and finally finished that moment—that moment that was ruined by the assholes at the bar— and kissed him.

His lips were soft, slightly chapped from the cold, but he tasted like peppermint, and it was _wonderful_.

Eren wrapped his hands around Levi’s neck as he brought them closer, their lips moving together in unison, and it felt like sparks were flying, flying everywhere.

They finally broke apart after a minute, both breathing heavily as their pulse raced, staring straight at each other, faces still close together.

“It worked,” Eren panted, a shit-eating grin on his face as he jerked his head up, bringing Levi’s attention to the mistletoe that was hanging right above them, that he had no idea existed up until now.

Levi barked out a laugh. “Seriously? You really know how to ruin a moment, you shitty brat.”

“Your shitty brat, though.”

“My shitty brat,” Levi agreed.

“You know, this could’ve happened earlier if you just knew how to take a hint.”

“You mean when you forced me to go ice skating and I almost killed you because of your goddamn singing?”

“Yes! Come on, weren’t you listening? I literally repeated it a hundred times— _All I want for Christmas is you._ You, Levi! Why did you think I chose that song?”

“You’ve got to be kidding.“

“I’m really not.”

Levi huffed incredulously before shaking his head and moving his hands up to cup Eren’s cheek. “Well, you’ve got me now, brat. What are you going to do?” he challenged.

Eren’s iridescent eyes glimmered with mirth as his lips quirked up in a smile. He answered the raven-haired man by crashing them together once again.

They stayed like that—lost in utter bliss, fingers tangling in each other’s hair—as the snow continued to fall and the night got darker and darker.

Somehow, neither of them felt cold.


	8. Rivaille

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabel struggles to move on in the wake of Levi's death. Levi stumbles upon something that seems oddly familiar.

The upper-level society of Trost celebrated Christmas just as they always did—milling around the banquet hall of Stohess Renaissance, the most luxurious property in the entire city, reserved only for foreign dignitaries, state dinners, and special aristocratic events.

Of course, there was no place more fitting for the annual Ackerman Christmas Soiree. It was the biggest event of the season, and only the most well-connected and richest people were invited.

Normally, it was tolerable. Though the stuffy atmosphere, forced conversation, and endless formalities were tiresome, at least the food was first-class and the decorations truly stunning.

But this year, Isabel didn’t think she could bear to stay for one more second.

She wasn’t allowed to leave, however. No, it didn’t matter that this was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, that she was supposed to be engaged today, that the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with was now six feet under.

News of Levi Ackerman’s death would spell disaster for Survey Corps, especially considering the huge international expansion investment they just announced. So nobody was to know. It was to be kept secret, until the company profits recovered, the next heir identified, and even then it wasn’t guaranteed his death would be public knowledge.

So that’s why Isabel was forced to be here, forced to smile and pretend that nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary. She had never missed one of these balls, and that was to stay the same.

She didn’t even get to see the body. She was only told that their engagement had been derailed due to an unexpected accident, and that the Ackermans were sincerely regretful.

_Regretful._ Isabel clenched the wine glass so hard that it was sure to break soon.

A familiar hand gently took it away before that could happen, and Isabel looked up.

“How’re you holding up?” Furlan asked, concern written all over his face.

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “Fine.”

She wasn’t fine, of course, and they both knew it. But at least she could endure the night with Furlan by her side, rather than have to socialize with the other snooty guests and listen to their fake laughs and thinly-veiled jabs.

Furlan wasn’t on the guest list—being the youngest director in Survey Corps wasn’t enough to merit an invite, apparently—but the Ackermans at least allowed Isabel to have a +1 this year, if only as a gesture of good faith that they were still interested in a union with the Magnolias, even though it wouldn’t be through Levi.

“How do you deal with it?” Isabel whispered. She didn’t say anything more, but Furlan understood her question. How did he deal with having to pretend everything was fine when it felt like the world was crashing down? How did he keep going when the people most beloved to him died and left him behind?

“You just have to move forward, day by day,” he replied. “Eventually, it’ll start to hurt less and less and it won’t be so hard anymore.”

Isabel could feel her mouth trembling as tears pricked in the corner of her eyes, struggling to maintain her composure and not let anyone else see that she was not fine, she was in pain, so much pain, and she was sick of it all.

Furlan tilted her chin up and used his other hand to brush away the stray tears with his thumb.

“It helps…” he hesitated slightly, before finding the courage to continue. “It helps to look for reasons to keep living.”

As Isabel gazed into his tender, light gray eyes, she felt the pieces of her broken heart start to mend a little.

* * *

The rest of winter appeared to fly by, and before Levi knew it spring had already arrived. It was hard to believe that he had been in Shiganshina for almost half a year—somehow that seemed simultaneously too long and too short.

Though he and Eren had officially began dating since Christmas, not much had changed. They would spend about the same amount of time together as they did before, although there were more lingering touches and handholding and pecks on the cheek, and they still butted heads over silly things like Eren’s penchant for singing too loudly and Levi’s refusal to rest until everything was spotless.

Perhaps it was because they had a mutual understanding that they weren’t simply just boyfriends—they lived together and worked together, after all—and neither wanted to dive headfirst into a whirlwind romance without any thought to the potential consequences. When you spend so much time with another person and you share so much of your life with them, there’s a certain risk of moving too quickly and winding up becoming weary of the other, ending the relationship before it really began.

Starting up the flower farm also ate up a lot of their energy. Eren woke up early every day—a truly monumental feat for him—to maintain the land, watering and fertilizing and weeding to keep the plants in pristine condition.

Levi was surprisingly adept at handling the business side of things, intuitively knowing the logical next steps needed, from cost analysis to accounting and marketing. He understood the financial jargon without needing to Google it, and Eren guessed that he probably majored in business in college.

The empty memories that hadn’t bothered Levi too much before now became a sensitive subject for them. After all, neither of them knew if he had a special someone back home—hell, it was even possible that he was already married and had kids, and Levi knew that this uncertainty was likely a huge factor in Eren’s hesitance towards taking their relationship any further.

Levi had assured the brat that that likely wasn’t the case—after all, he didn’t have a wedding ring when they found him and there was no missing person report for anybody named Levi in the months since the accident. When he brought up the possibility that maybe he was in such an awful relationship that he ran away on purpose and unconsciously chose to forget the other, the brunette cracked a smile and seemed to relax a little bit more.

He liked their current companionship. It was comfortable, and it felt right. Movies and TV shows always made it seem like only intense, passionate marriages filled with lots of sex and kids and declarations of love were ideal, but Levi found that what they had was better. They cared for one another, filled in the gaps for what the other lacked, and could spend hours sitting next to each other, absorbed in their own tasks, yet still feel closer at the end of it.

Today would be the first day that the flower farm would be open to the public, and it coincided with the visit of a small tourist group that were coming to Shiganshina, so Eren was excited to finally showcase his pride and joy to others.

Levi stood to the side as he watched Eren animatedly gesture to the different flower varieties as the middle-aged moms and dads and young kids listened raptly. He wasn’t surprised, as the brunette had a bright, vibrant voice and he spoke with such exuberance that it was infectious.

He started when one of the mothers nudged him and asked, “Can you help us take a picture?” holding out a camera.

It was a rather fancy device with a heavy lens and an assortment of buttons, and Levi took it carefully from her grasp as she commanded the group into an orderly arrangement.

Levi peered at them through the eyepiece, and his body moved naturally to adjust the angle and tilt the camera just so to capture the perfect way the sunlight illuminated the vibrant background. He didn’t even register that he was snapping and tweaking the settings and shifting back and forth until the kids started fidgeting, which prompted him to stop.

“Thanks!” The tourist took the device back and looked through the photos before gasping, “Oh my god! These are amazing!”

Eren peered over her shoulder and let out a whistle of appreciation. “Holy shit, you’re really good at this!”

Levi gave a half hearted shrug in embarrassment, unsure of what to do with the praise. He himself didn’t know what came over him in that moment, just that it was _easy._ He knew the functions of the buttons like the back of his hand and he knew exactly how to adjust the angles to get the shot just right.

It was familiar and satisfying, though it puzzled him why that odd sense of nostalgia he was experiencing now felt so profound.

* * *

Every summer, Shiganshina hosted a fair, and it was widely appreciated as _the_ event of the year. Farmers would bring their proudest hogs and cows to show off, teachers would operate the caramel-dipped apple and cotton candy stands to fundraise for the school, housewives would enter their best cakes and pies in the baking contest, and the town would even rent roller coasters and a Ferris wheel to boot.

It took months of preparations, and everyone at the community center was involved in helping plan out the logistics to make it a success.

That was why Levi had to stand around and wait for Eren that afternoon, as he had been called in for an “emergency” meeting—Levi really wasn’t sure what “emergency” could happen, considering it was only April and the fair was scheduled for the end of June, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t usually get a chance to come to this part of town as someone needed to man the store at all times, so as he walked absently around he found himself entering a bookstore across the street.

It was surprisingly big, although that made sense once he learned that it was _the only_ bookstore in the whole town and it also served as _the only_ stationary store—small as Shiganshina was, there was still an elementary, middle, and high school in addition to the college, so that was already a rather large clientele that it needed to serve.

He walked through the aisles, scanning the different titles and occasionally thumbing open a cover, but nothing really caught his attention until he suddenly saw a picture out of the corner of his eye.

It was a photography book. On the cover was a beautiful shot of a mountain, the vivid amethyst and violet sky reflecting off of the lake underneath, looking more like some fantasy world than a real place. The tiny caption in the corner indicated that it actually did exist— _Fiorland Mountains, New Zealand_.

Levi cracked open the hardcover, his eyes growing wider and wider as he took in page after page of similarly gorgeous landscapes, all looking impossibly otherworldly yet somehow strangely familiar.

He flipped it over to the side and saw the artist’s name:

R I V A I L L E

It sounded French, and Levi searched the book jacket to read the about the author section, but found none. There was only information about the publishing company, which was located somewhere in the United States.

Levi checked the time and saw that Eren was going to be done soon, but he hesitated as he turned to leave. The book called out to him, igniting some urgency inside him that he didn’t quite understand yet couldn’t ignore.

Not even looking at the price, Levi picked it up and walked over to the register to pay.

* * *

Eren was as enamored with the photos as he was at the store, and that night they sat in Levi’s room as they pored over the landscapes together, occasionally pointing out a particular detail that especially fascinated them.

Well, Eren did. Levi didn’t really comment on the pictures, the unsettling feeling still bothering him.

Somehow, he felt like he _knew_ things about the photos that he shouldn’t. The picture of the waterfall was almost impossible to get because the spray of the water was too powerful. The swans captured together in the shape of a heart was so perfect, yet completely accidental.

Eren had become adept at reading the subtleties of his body language and changes in expressions, so he tactfully stopped talking and instead suggested, “Why don’t we look him up? His name is Rivaille, right?”

He opened his laptop and typed in the search, adjusting so that Levi could also see his screen. The first website to pop up was the artist’s website—it was very minimalist and clean-cut, the available pictures expanding when the mouse hovered over them.

Levi’s stomach lurched when he saw the “about” section hidden at the bottom, and Eren immediately clicked on it.

_Rivaille (he/him/his) is a self-taught and award-winning photographer specializing in landscape photography. He has been based in New York City since 2013. His works have appeared in places such as Time Magazine and the National Geographic. For media or partnership inquiries, please fill out the form below._

He frowned as he read it over. So the photographer was based in New York City, which was in a different country. Somehow, he had been secretly hoping for something different.

Eren seemed to notice the letdown. “Hey, that’s just the first website, right? I’m sure there’s more info on him considering he’s so famous.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t. Not a single photo of this mysterious Rivaille existed, despite the fact he had his own instagram page. Again, there were only samples of his work—different landscapes and the occasional picture he snapped of his daily life. He posted very infrequently, and there were only 30 or so photos from the past 7 years, the most recent one being a snowy street with the caption, “Nordics Expedition - Iceland, Norway, then Finland next” dated last October.

His heart sunk. There was no clue as to how long he was in the Nordics, but considering the date was so close to when his accident happened in Paradis, far, far away, there wasn’t a chance that he had anything to do with this Rivaille.

The disappointment was bitter, and Eren wordlessly reached over to pull him in a hug as they sat there for the rest of the night in silence.


	9. Flowers, Get Your Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shiganshina Fair finally rolls around, and Levi attempts a romantic gesture for his 6-month anniversary with Eren. Furlan is in for a shock when he sees who is behind the stand for Carla's Flowers.

Summer soon dawned upon them, and they were busier than ever. With Carla’s Flowers fully up and operational, Eren spent most of his time tending to the farm, picking the flowers for Hannes to transport to the city. There wasn’t a huge demand for them in Shiganshina, although they always had a few bouquets at the store.

Eren had managed to secure a vendor spot for them at the fair, and Mikasa relented and hired a temporary part-time worker to oversee the store so that they could all run the stand together for the weekend. Even with Eren’s boundless energy, there was so much to do that he was often crashing at only 8 PM. Sometimes he fell asleep while he was still poring over work in the living room, and when that happened Levi would pick him up and carry him upstairs to tuck him into bed after pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

The fair would only last 3 days, but he was told that it would be _huge_. Though Shiganshina was small and rural, the famously fresh and expansive selection of produce, charming scenery, and cheap prices attracted people from all over Paradis, which was great for local businesses. 

Despite the warnings, Levi wasn’t prepared for the massive crowd on the first day. The previously quiet town square was filled the brim with hawker stands and lines of fairgoers. It was a good thing that Eren grasped his hand firmly, using his height to maneuver through the sea of people, otherwise Levi might’ve been accidentally trampled to death.

Levi came up with the idea of making a photo frame decorated with sweet peas and peonies and the “Carla’s Flowers” logo, so that people could take pictures and help expand their word-of-mouth advertising. Mikasa had dug up an old polaroid that Levi would be in charge of operating, and Eren would be putting his loud voice to use by going around the fair with an apron full of flowers to garner more foot traffic.

It was busy, but actually rather fun, as they got to observe the diverse customers who all had different accents and mannerisms and clothing and smell the intoxicating sweet scent of funnel cakes, doughnuts, and fried banana pudding.

By the third day though, they had lost all their enthusiasm—well, Levi and Mikasa did. Eren was still as zealous as ever as they heard him in the distance yelling, “Flowers, flowers, get your flowers—most beautiful flowers in all of Shiganshina!” his voice rough and hoarse from the strain of constant use.

“We are never doing this ever again,” Mikasa grumbled, as she plopped down heavily and rubbed her sore feet.

“Please,” Levi groaned as he got up to take her place at the stand.

It had gotten to the point that they were rotating instead of handling the orders together. Apparently Mikasa felt the benefit of taking a break outweighed the damage Levi could do with his shitty customer service skills.

And it truly was shit. He had tried, really, at the beginning, but after a shitty brat screamed when he saw Levi taking his picture because apparently Levi “looked like a vampire” and another shitty brat spilled ice cream all over his shoes and wouldn’t stop wailing and a woman named Karen drilled Levi for ten minutes on the different types of flowers before leaving without buying anything, he was done. So done.

He was silently judging the next customer—his last one, because goddamnit it, Mikasa was supposed to have come back half an hour ago, a young man with pale skin and dark-blonde hair who was currently leaning down and admiring the flowers appreciatively.

“Hey, which one do you recommend?” He asked, picking up a tulip and twirling it in his hand.

Levi sighed. “Who are you getting it for?”

“Ah—uh” he stammered as his face flushed. “Well, a girl. Not my girlfriend, but…”

“Get a pink one, then, girls love that shit.”

“Oh, well this one’s kind of pink, I gues—”

“That’ll be $3.”

The guy hastily put the flower on the stand to pull out a crisp $20, holding it out to Levi when he finally made eye contact and froze.

Levi jerked the bill out of his hand and counted $17 from the till before slapping it on the table.

The man didn’t move. He was still staring at Levi, eyes wide, mouth dropped open in shock, as though he saw a ghost.

“Oi blondie!” Levi snapped his fingers impatiently. “Your change.”

Blondie finally jolted abruptly to action. He crumpled the money into his pocket without looking and snatched the flower, but continued to gawk.

This pissed off the already short-tempered man. “You need to take a shit or something?”

“N—no, it’s just…you look kind of familiar.”

“You don’t,” Levi replied bluntly. “Do I know you?”

The man bit his lip hesitantly as though mentally struggling to make a decision when he heard a girl squeal, “There you are, Furlan, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Not interested in watching two love-birds make out in front of him, and certain that he had never seen or heard of the guy—Furlan, what a weird name—Levi rolled his eyes and turned around to find Mikasa so he could finally take his goddamn break.

* * *

Levi had disappeared by the time Isabel came into view, smiling as she asked, “Oh, is that for me?”

Furlan jumped as little as he lifted up the flower he forgot he was holding. “Uh—yeah. I got it for you.”

Isabel blushed but looked immensely pleased as she examined the tulip. “It’s beautiful, Furlan, thank you.”

“No problem,” he said distantly, as he craned his neck and searched for the raven-haired man. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, and instead an Asian woman replaced him. “Hey, why don’t you get us some funnel cake? I think I saw them selling it close by. I’ll find you in a bit.”

“Ooh, good idea!” She pranced off after giving Furlan a gentle hand squeeze that he barely registered. Instead, he leaned towards the woman, whose name tag read _Mikasa_.

“Excuse me, who was that man that was here before you?”

Mikasa raised her eyebrows. “That was Levi. Why?”

“N-no reason. Um…how long has he worked here?”

“Since last October. Is there a problem?”

“…No.” Furlan was completely at a loss, unsure of just what was going on.

Mikasa’s face cleared with realization as she said, “Ah. I see.”

“What?”

She let out a puff of air. “Levi is…a very good worker, overall, but unfortunately has almost zero social skills. I’m sorry if he offended you and I understand if you want to make a complaint—“

“No, no, I wasn’t going to make a complaint. I was…going to…uh…compliment him! Yes! Um, thanks to him, I found the perfect flower for my girlfrien—uh girl. Friend.” Furlan stuttered.

The Asian woman inspected him as though concerned for his well-being. “You want to compliment Levi? On his customer service?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “Yes, you’re very lucky to have him as your…”

“Employee,” Mikasa finished for him. “And housemate. And kind of brother-in-law, or whatever.” She added after a second thought.

“What?!”

Mikasa shrugged. “He’s dating my brother.”

“Oh…” the blonde man looked stunned at this revelation. “He’s also living with you?”

“Yeah…he was in an accident, you know. Lost his memory. So he’s been staying with us ever since.”

“That’s—that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well, it all worked out. He’s happy now.”

Furlan chewed his lip as he studied Mikasa. “He’s happy?”

“I think so.”

“G—good to hear,” he scratched his arm distractedly before he finally said, “Well, thanks. For the flowers. I’m going to—to head out now.”

“Bye.” After she bid him farewell, he wandered off into the crowd, not paying any attention to where he was going.

Levi was _alive_. Alive and perfectly healthy, just…without any memories. The Levi Ackerman, world-famous award-winning photographer, heir to the Survey Corps fortune, poised to become the most powerful businessman in Trost, was here. In Shiganshina. Selling flowers. Apparently in a relationship. And most of all…happy.

He had never heard anybody describe Levi as happy before. Had never _seen_ him happy before.

But still…he needed to tell someone or do something. Levi can’t just stay here in this hick town, living out the rest of his life without any awareness of who he was, dying a poor, undistinguished man without his family.

“Furlan! I got the funnel cake!” He started when he saw Isabel running towards him, her bright red hair flying behind her, pigtails askew, grinning ear to ear.

He swallowed as he waved, plastering on a fake smile.

Somehow…he couldn’t bring himself to go back to that flower stand. After all, they said that he was happy. Then that’s ok, then…

Right?

* * *

Levi realized he probably should’ve thought his plan out more, as he watched Eren crack open one eye to take a peek out the glass before whimpering and covering his face with his hands.

He exhaled heavily. So much for a big romantic gesture. He should’ve known better than to trust those god-awful advice blogs that he somehow decided to read.

“Why the fuck would you agree to get on if you’re afraid of heights?” He demanded.

Eren spluttered, still hiding in his hands. “I’m not _afraid_ of heights…I just—just—“ He risked a glance out before gulping. “Holy shit—shitshitshitshit we’re so high up—oh god, we’re going to die, we’re going to fall down and die—I’m too young to die—would I even die immediately or will I just—“

Levi grabbed his cheeks to turn his head towards him so that the brunette would stop looking out. “We’re not going to die, idiot, this is perfectly safe.”

“How do you know?” Eren’s voice came out muffled, as Levi was still squishing his face.

“It’s a fucking Ferris Wheel, not the Goliath.”

He was still looking doubtfully at Levi, who let go of him before muttering, “Shit, this was a stupid idea.”

Eren cocked his head in confusion. “What?”

Before he could respond, however, the ride suddenly lurched before coming to a screeching halt, and Eren screamed and latched onto Levi for dear life. “We’re going to die!!!”

Levi peeled the brunette off despite his desperate attempts to hang on. “Just, just shut up and listen for a moment, you shitty brat.”

He shoved his hand in his pocket and took out the papers he had hidden there as Eren peered at him curiously. He took a deep breath and decided it would be better to just get it over with quickly. “I’m—I’m complete shit at a lot of things. I hate talking to people, I hate it when they’re all perky and cheery and so fucking eager it’s like they’re basically goddamn Energizer Bunnies.”

“But somehow, I don’t hate you. I like you. A whole fucking lot—Jesus, I like you so much I don’t even know what to do with myself. And for some fucking reason, you seem to like me, even though I’m old and crotchety and anal about really stupid things. You literally plucked me off the side of the road, saved my life, and just brought me into your home and life like it was the most natural thing to do. And I—“

He broke off, avoiding Eren’s gaze as he tried to continue. “I know that wherever the fuck I came from, nobody ever did that for me. And when I’m with you, I feel like I’m the happiest fucking man on the planet.”

Levi finally pushed the papers into Eren’s hand. “So, happy 6-month anniversary, I guess,” he finished lamely.

Eren smoothed out the gift and saw that it was a brochure. _Paradise Beach._

“Wh-what is this?” Eren asked, completely bewildered.

“Mikasa told me that it was always your dream to see the ocean. But you just never had the time or money or person to take you there, since you can’t drive. So, we’re going. I got a good deal for a room in October.”

“I—I—“ Eren’s eyes started to well up, before he sniffed loudly and said. “This is…amazing. Thank you, Levi!” The brunette threw himself onto him to hug him tightly, while Levi patted his hair awkwardly.

“But I didn’t get you a present. I didn’t know if we were going to be one of those couples that celebrated anniversaries and stuff.” His previously radiant expression dimmed.

“You coming with me is the present, brat. Stop worrying.”

Eren gave a wobbly smile as he reached to hold Levi’s hand fondly. “You’re the best, Levi.”

“Yeah, yeah, no need to get all sappy,” Levi grumbled, as he scooted closer to the brunette, but he looked pleased.

The ride suddenly groaned as it started moving again, and Eren jumped in surprise.

“Wait,” he turned to Levi. “Did you plan that on purpose?”

“Yeah, I even slipped a $20 into the operator’s hand. You were supposed to be admiring the beautiful sunset view and shit when I surprised you, but how could I have known you were going to get all screechy?”

“I was _not_ —“

Levi silenced him with a kiss. “Just shut up and enjoy the rest of the ride, brat.”

“…Are you sure we’re not going to die though?”


End file.
